Keeping it Together
by waterfalls
Summary: Namine had always had control of her life. Now with her mom getting married,transfering to a new school and town,and trying to make new friends she's not so sure anymore. Maybe that blonde hottie can help keep it together and save her from falling apart.
1. The Changes We Make

**A/N: EEEEP! Hey everyone Waterfalls here and it's my first story on this couple, which I simply adore, and of course it's the typical high school fic. Hopefully though, it will have a little more depth than just the whole fall in love with each other type and that's all that's in the story. I'm warning everyone with the OOC of my characters, although I'm trying to make them like the way they are in the game. You know, Roxas the moody and serious and SEXY nobody! While Namine is friendly and all cutesy like =) so, hopefully you enjoy this, and don't worry all the other characters from Kingdom Hearts will be in this story too ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts**

Chapter One

The Changes We Make

Namine couldn't believe that her mother was getting married…again. This was like her fourth time, fifth if you wanted to include her real father. She chose not to. But they had been, in her mother's eyes, married-if hitting Traverse Town during their spring break and ending up getting united by someone they'd met who claimed to have the license that allowed them to wed people counted. Did she mention they both had been drunk out of their minds at the time? Of course it did to Namine's mother. But then, her mom took on husbands the way teenagers changed their hair color: out of boredom, or just feeling like the next on was the right one and would fix everything, once and for all. Ha, fat chance.

When Namine mentioned fix everything, she really meant moving out of Hollowbastion, where she had lived her entire short life, to the small town of Twilight. That was where she and her mother had met Skyler actually. They had been visiting Aunt Stacey, which meant her mom just went to show off her brand new car and well…Aunt Stacey decided that maybe it was time she got a brand new vehicle too. In fact, the memory was still clear as Namine sat in the exact show room at this very moment. She was waiting patiently, sitting on a forest green plastic chair at the car dealership, in the first week of August. It was just getting cooler, everything was slowly changing from the bright green to dark reds and light browns, and summer was practically over, which also meant, of course, that the school year would soon be starting and she'd have to start all over in her senior year at a brand new school. Joy.

She heaved a heavy sigh, tuning out some song that crackled above her when Skyler Grayson of Skyler Grayson motors opened his office door and roamed his eyes around the room until he spotted her. "Hey Nami, sorry you had to wait. Come on in."

Namine quickly rose to her feet and followed him into his office. She still just couldn't get it into her head that next June this man would be her new father, diving into the sea of her other step-fathers. She had to give Skyler credit though; he was the first car salesman and the only one with money of his own. He and her mother fell in love in this very office actually. Yeah, it still rendered her speechless too, even as she glanced around the small room that suspiciously smelt of rubber tires and car wax. Yuck. They had met when Namine, her mom, and her Aunt Stacey decided that they would get her Stacey's new car the second day of their visit. Namine came without hassle because both she and her mother knew Stacey very well: she would buy whatever the salesman said was best and buy it because it was pretty, like she was buying oranges or tomatoes at the grocery store. They couldn't allow that to happen.

The first salesman seemed to have just graduated from college and easily used his handsome face and charming personality to persuade Stacey to look at a fully loaded new-year model. They waited as she poked her head inside the vehicle and then emerge announcing that she would take it. Namine had rolled her eyes because strangely enough, her mother had done the same. So, like any loving niece she stepped in, asking direct questions that made him suddenly nervous and sputter about his answers. When he really started to squirm they were interrupted by Skyler Grayson himself, who smoothly ushered them into his office and fell hard for Namine's mother in like fifteen minutes flat. No lie. So while her mom and Mister Grayson made lovesick eyes at each other and Aunt Stacey totally entranced with the pamphlet Skyler had given her, Namine did the exact same negotiating that she had done when her mom had bought her car.

Ignoring the "oohing" and the "awwwing" that her Aunt was making at a select view of vehicles, Namine convinced her to get a red corolla, have Skyler drop the price to five thousand and also have him throw in a maintenance plan, plus a six CD player. Come on, that was quite the deal right? No one seemed to notice because her mom was suddenly changing numbers with the guy and telling him where she lived and basically told her life story in a matter of thirty minutes while Stacey gushed over her new car. Namine really felt appreciated…not.

"So Namine," Skyler said taking a seat in his big leather chair behind his desk, and motioning for her to take a seat in what looked like a very uncomfortable chair opposite of him. He shifted in his seat slightly so that he was leaning back and adjusted his tie so it was loose, allowing Namine to see that he was indeed, very comfortable in front of her. That was another thing Namine did like about this guy. Her other step-dad's hardly spoke to her let alone allow time for her at their job; instead they rather squirmed and fidgeted in her presence. Maybe it was because Skyler was incredibly handsome, a strong build with a thick mass of brown hair and easy going green eyes that made him confident of not messing up in front of her. Not even giving her the chance to actually hate him, not that she ever could, he was sweet, and he loved her mother, "what's it that you needed?"

"Well, I called that tux renting place today and they're scheduling you the twenty sixth of next month for a fitting. The final fitting should be later on, you know a little before the wedding. Um, also I think I've found an excellent caterer, but I'm going to re-check and I'm thinking that the rehearsal dinner should be set around…seven-thirty."

"Alright," he said slowly raising an eyebrow and then grinning, "you are aware that the wedding isn't until next year right?"

"Heh, well I start school pretty soon and it's my senior year. It'll probably keep me very busy alone; adding on the soon-to-be wedding will only put more stress on me. I'm only thinking ahead," she shrugged, blushing from his gaze. She didn't mention that most seniors didn't have to plan their mom's weddings; she felt that it would be rather rude if she did.

"I see. You're a smart kid Nami, getting things done way ahead of schedule. Makes it easier for your mom and me," he laughed sitting back up in his chair.

Namine smiled before pulling out a list from her purse, and grabbed a pen from his desk to scratch some things off, "I'm calling the band next week or so and that should be all I need to do for a while until I see what mom wants from the caterer."

"Make sure it's not some lame band okay. I don't want to be known as your loser dad who isn't cool enough to get a good band and throws a lame ass party."

"It's only a reception," Namine grinned rolling her eyes.

"A party is a party Nami. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it I might already have a band to play that night," he replied.

"Okay, but being the wedding coordinator, I'm gonna keep pestering you about it until we know for sure they're gonna show up," Namine clucked. She wasn't too worried; Skyler didn't seem like the type of guy to flake out. Plus they were already way ahead in their planning. Her mother had already picked out her dress, decided on flowers, and had consulted on a salon for her hair and makeup. The rest was up to Namine to see through and the girl couldn't get mad because she was used to her mom leaving everything to her. Just like always. Her mom was a talented writer, and she would lock herself up for hours, claiming she needed every free second to work on her books. She wasn't one for dwindling in wedding affairs, not when she had Namine who had taken care of her for most of her time while they lived alone. Besides, Namine's been through plenty of weddings to know how to take care of the matters at hand.

"….getting married! Kelly is the most beautiful woman I have ever met, creative and talented no less." Skyler was saying, looking at a picture frame in his hands. "Can you believe it?" he asked setting the frame back on his desk, with obvious affection.

Namine gazed at the lovely woman smiling in the picture. She had huge blue eyes that shown with fun and secrets outlined by long dark lashes. Her platinum blonde hair was naturally curly, in the perfect spiral shape that most girls tried to achieve with a curling iron, and her lips were full and always smiled beautifully. Yeah, her mom was certainly an angel. "I can actually," she nodded, "you guys deserve each other."

She couldn't describe the happiness that lit up Skyler's face as she said this, making her blush from the adoration in his bottle green eyes. He opened his mouth to reply, when just then the intercom on his desk buzzed loudly, and a bubbly woman's voice came on. "Skyler, Davis has a customer who needs your help. Can I send them in?"

Skyler glanced at Namine, then pushed the button and replied, "Give me ten seconds and then send them in."

"I'm done anyways," Namine said hurriedly, stuffing the list in her pocket and throwing the pen back onto the desk while getting to her feet just as he did.

"Thanks for everything Nami, all the things you're doing for your mom and me," he smiled placing a kind and warm hand on her shoulder and leading her towards the door. She gulped, trying to ignore the memories of all the other stepfathers before him, using the same dad-style gesture. She sure hoped he would be permanent, just like he thought he was going to be. All the other had thought so to, but look how they ended up.

"No problem," she smiled as he moved his hand and opened the door. Waiting in front of them in the showroom was a salesman, standing with the customer-a short woman with graying hair and wearing a cream cardigan and clutching an orange handbag. Where were those fashion police?

"Skyler this is Maddie," the salesman, who looked like that same college guy from a few years ago, said smoothly, "she's very interested in buying a new car."

"Aren't they all?" Namine muttered quietly so that only Skyler heard her. Maddie looked nervous though, her blue eyes skittering all around the room and looking like she wanted to run away as fast as she could. She probably wouldn't get far without knee replacements.

"Well Maddie, let's take a seat in my office and talk about what we can do for you," Skyler interrupted soothingly.

"O-Okay," the old woman replied, glancing at the salesman who pushed her forward and into the office.

"I'll see you later Namine," Skyler said, giving her a small wave.

"See you," Namine told him, watching Maddie make her way inside and seat herself in that stupid chair that was just made for her to make a fast decision so that she could get the hell out of there. The whole place was practically made that way.

"Now Maddie, tell us what can we do to make you happy?" Skyler asked, the door suddenly closing and blocking them from Namine's view and hearing range.

NRNRNRNRNR

When Namine opened the door to her home, or rather Skyler's house, the first thing she noticed was the silence. It was an eerie feeling and she wondered if anybody was actually home. She slipped off her tennis shoes and headed towards the kitchen, slipping when she stepped on a crumpled up piece of paper on the floor. Picking up the white crumpled ball, she realized that there was a sort of trail that led out to the sliding glass door that led to the sun porch. Sure enough she spotted her mom, sitting at the patio table with the door partially open. Namine leaned against the kitchen counter, observing the beautiful woman as she clicked and clacked away on her black laptop. She was dressed in a simple blue sundress, and on top of her curly hair was a yellow straw hat. Obviously her mom was taking advantage of the fleeting summer sun while it was still there.

"Hey your home," a sweet voice exclaimed suddenly causing Namine to turn toward the kitchen and smile at her aunt. It was funny really. Her aunt looked almost like her mom except her eyes were hazel and her blonde hair had been highlighted with different shades of gold and browns and was quite straight.

Hey Aunt Stacey, so how long has she been doing this?" Namine asked, smiling and propping her elbows on the countertop.

"Kelly has been at it all day basically. Here I thought we were going to talk about the wedding and she all of a sudden came up with this brilliant idea for a romance novel," Stacey rolled her eyes before smiling, "how was your day?"

"Good, boring," Namine shrugged. "It's hard to go have fun when I'm an only child and have exactly no friends."

"Oh Nam, it'll get better. You'll see," Stacey gave another smile, this one for encouragement before picking up two glasses that she had filled with ice and lemonade and heading to the sun porch. Namine watched as she set the glasses down and made her way to her seat opposite of her mom, not saying a word. Namine sighed, knowing that when her mother was writing there was no point in trying to get her to talk. She was in another world, her story's world, and there was no getting her back until she wanted to be back.

When Namine had lived in Hollowbastion and had been going to the elementary school there, her mom had been pretty broke. She hadn't really started fiction writing, publishing-wise, instead she wrote for the city's newspaper. Back then she wrote in the kitchen, where she had been constantly interrupted by a bored- out –of- her- mind Namine. That's when she bought a paper folding wall to put in the doorway. When it was pushed out of the way, it meant that Namine could enter and do whatever she pleased in the kitchen, but when it was pulled out making a wall that blocked the entrance, her mother was working and Namine had to go elsewhere. It had been that way for the longest time.

She had been seven then, and sometimes would just stand there and run her fingertips over the cherry blossomed trees that decorated the thin wall. She guessed that it was that wall that and got her interested in art, the art of drawing and sketching things out when she was bored or worried. The wall had been the only thing of her mother's, besides the essentials, that made the trip to Hollowbastion and to Namine's dismay, her mom never even used it anymore. Skyler had presented her with her own room for her writing, with a solid door that locked and kept everyone out. So now, at seventeen, Namine found herself standing in front of that door sometimes during the night. She would lean her forehead against the white barrier and place her hands against it as she supported herself. This way she could hear her mom's clicking and clacking away, a sort of comfort that Namine and grown used to and sometimes needed, and allow little tears to fall down her cheeks. Not everything needed to change.

**A/N: SO…..What do you guys think? If you like it so far then I would like you to review, so I know that I should continue and put in ROXAS and all the other yummy characters that everyone else loves so well =) I'm actually loving this story myself because well…Roxas is the typical bad boy type and he just plays the part sooo well LOL. So stay tuned for chapter two!**

**As the world turns and the grass grows the Waterfalls! =)**


	2. We All Need Friends

**A/N: Welcome to the second chapter of this story! You'll like this chapter immensely because….dun…dun...dun...we meet some very amazing new characters to the story! =D Okay, just so everyone knows…Skyler, Kelly, and Stacey are my own so don't try and look for them…in this chapter the principal is mine too! I'm also gonna warn you that there is a little surprise in this chapter…but I'm making this fic a twinge bit realistic sooo…please bear with me! I'll explain at the end of this chapter, but please enjoy!**

Chapter Two

We All Need Friends

"Hey, are you ready to go in?"

Namine felt her body jump, suddenly jerked from her daydreaming and turned her head to Skyler, who'd pulled his keys from the ignition and was now just sitting there staring at her, door on the car handle. "Um, yeah," she mumbled grabbing the white binder sitting by her feet and getting out of the vehicle. As soon as she stepped out of the car, a bell sounded from the school.

"Office is this way," Skyler said as they started walking along the line of cars in the student parking lot. He began to point at different things, being her personal tour guide. Guess that was the perks of him coming to this school when he had been her age. "The auditorium and gym are those two big building you see over there. The dining hall is here, closest to us, and the classrooms are all around the quad," he explained as if he only graduated last year. How he could remember everything so clearly was a mystery to her. Namine followed him up onto the curb as he led her towards a long flat building with too many windows and a weird mixture or red bricks and red stone that made up the buildings wall. That's when she heard a loud screech of tire wheels.

She jerked her head to see another sporty Audi like Skyler's, only a Barbie pink color, zoom past them, brake lights flashing as it swerved into the student parking lot and whipped into a free space. A moment later the door opened and a pretty girl with shoulder length, deep red hair emerged from the car, dressed in the schools uniform. She was chatting on a pink cell phone, carrying her binder and books in her other arm, sprinting towards the classrooms.

"Looks like Miss Rose is a little late," Skyler chuckled.

"You know her?"

"In a small town like Twilight it's easy to know who the daughter of the richest guy in town is."

"Oh."

As they reached the front entrance, Skyler opened the glass door and led her inside not noticing the blonde behind him freeze and observe the extravagant room. She hadn't known what to expect, white walls and brown carpet maybe, but instead was greeted with soft blue and antique yellow, a few comfy chairs that was padded on the seat and backs. Red velvet curtains were pulled aside by white ribbons so people could look outside and enjoy the pleasant looking scenery. She supposed that's the way all prestigious school's made their buildings to look like it. Oh gosh, how was someone who went to a poor school supposed to fit in? She was doomed.

"Mr. Grayson!" A man wearing a white collared long sleeved shirt, a red tie, and navy blue slacks greeted as soon as he saw them. He strode right over, holding out his hand with a large grin. "It looks like our best student has finally returned!"

"Mr. Taylor, this is my soon-to-be stepdaughter Namine Snow. Namine, this is Principal Taylor."

"Nice to meet you," Mr. Taylor said. His hand was large and strong, completely enveloping Namine's. "Welcome to Twilight Private School."

Namine nodded, her mouth going bone dry. Her experience with principals-teacher, policemen, anybody with authority-gave her this kind of feeling. That's what happens to a kid with a single parent at Hollowbastion and are too busy to keep their eyes on them. Anything and everything happened. It wasn't surprising when Namine's fight-or-flight instinct kicked in.

"Let's go ahead and get you settled in, shall we?" Mr. Taylor said, leading the way down the hallway and around the corner to a large office. Once inside, he took a seat behind a big red wooden desk while Skyler and Namine took seat opposite of him. Namine immediately tuned out the two men as they began catching up with each other lives, maybe hearing how Skyler's business donated money for the soccer and football field. Noting the office was just as grand as the rest of the building, she knew this place was definitely top notch. Why the hell did her mom ever agree to send her to a private elite school instead of a public one? Oh right…Skyler had gone here and had gone on and on about how fabulous this place was. Damn it.

"…grab a few forms, and we'll get a schedule set up for you," Mr. Taylor was saying, his light blue eyes setting upon her, "sound good?"

"Yes," Namine swallowed nervously.

He nodded, pushing back his chair and getting to his feet. Namine sat twiddling her thumbs as Skyler watched her from the corner of his eye.

"Nervous?" He asked gently.

"Oh! Um…maybe a little," she replied shyly, clasping her hands together in order to stop them from twitching. She didn't wanna look like some tweaker on her first day.

"Don't be. It's a great school and you'll meet some good kids. I'm sure you'll fit in no problem," he patted her arm softly. Yeah right, all these kids were rich. Well, richer than her anyways. A moment later, Mr. Taylor walked back in, a sheaf of papers in his hands and began talking about the school's program. Namine felt herself sing deeper as she realized that a new dad, a new school, and a new life all together was going to be pretty hard to keep together. Shit.

NRNRNRNR

She guessed the first thing any girl would worry about when going to a new school, would be the way she looks. What clothes to wear, how to do your hair, how much makeup to put on, and what shoes would go best with your outfit. You know that sort of thing. But, as Namine twirled around in front of the small mirror to observe the way she looked from behind, she realized that you couldn't impress many with a required uniform. Damn her friggen luck.

With a defeated sigh, she spun forward and straightened her white long sleeved collared blouse and pulled on her navy blue skirt a bit, cursing the perverted person on the school board for designing the thing. Seriously, the pleated mini skirt only came to mid-thigh and the navy blue vest that went over her buttoned blouse was made to fit snugly around her torso so that it pronounced her figure immensely. The only optional clothing to her uniform was the white knee socks that she had put on to at least cover some leg. Oh gosh, she looked like one of those cartoon characters from Japan. How embarrassing.

Fluffing her shoulder length platinum blonde hair so it could gain some volume, she leaned in closer to the mirror and inspected her makeup. Her ocean blue eyes were outlined in thick black liquid eyeliner, and black mascara had been expertly applied to her lashes so that they almost looked as if she had attached falsies. She quickly touched up her natural pink cheeks with blush and reapplied her light pink lip gloss to her plump, full lips. She retied the white satin bow that decorated the right side of her head and let out another sigh. She knew she couldn't linger in the bathroom for much longer, if she did she wouldn't make her first class and there was only forty minutes left. She grabbed her binder and exited the bathroom, heading for room 201.

Determined not to freak herself out, she started slowly down the empty hall in the direction that Mr. Taylor and Skyler had pointed out to her a mere twenty minutes ago. '_I can do this; I can do this' _she mentally chanted, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. Oh god. She couldn't do this. She stuck out like a sore thumb. Just as she turned the corner, she heard a laugh. It was a soft, girly laugh that for some reason made the hair on the back of her neck stand up and cause her to stop walking altogether. The source of the noise was easily detected, and Namine felt her cheeks heat up with mortifying embarrassment. Oh gosh, of all days it had to be her first day at a new school. How humiliating.

The boy was standing in front of the girl, her back pressed against the wall and at first glance you would think the pair was just in an intriguing conversation. That is, it did before he lifted her so that her slim legs covered in black fishnet leggings, could wrap around his waist and then there was that heavy moan that from the back of her throat and filled up the silent hall. All Namine could tell from the back was that the boy had golden blonde hair, short and swept to the right. The girls seemed to have raven black hair, cut just beneath her ears. Namine clutched her binder closer to her chest and to her dismay, ended up letting out a small squeak. The raven haired girl pulled back from the intimate embrace and glanced over the boy's shoulder with an annoyed glare. Her deep blue eyes pierced through Namine's, making her stumble backwards and accidentally drop her binder so that it clattered to the floor. Her cheeks flushed deeper as the sound echoed off the walls.

"What the hell is your problem?" the girl asked, being dropped lightly to her feet as the boy turned to inspect the intruder. Oh jeez. He was amazingly gorgeous!

"I-I'm sorry," Namine muttered dropping to her knees to gather her binder and fallen notebooks.

"Take it easy Xion, we should get our classes anyways," the boy chuckled. His voice was surprisingly deep, smooth, and velvety.

"Whatever. I'll see you later," the girl sighed, not looking back as she stomped down the hall. Namine stood up grimacing and pulled a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear watching the girl disappear. She was so gonna be known as a freak or something. Way to go. She jumped when she heard a soft chuckle and swung around to glance at the boy who was still standing there, leaning against the lockers with an amused smirk on his face. Could this get any worse? With a choked huff, she quickly turned her back to him and resumed her search for her first class.

When she opened the door she was immediately greeted with silence. Oh joy. "You must be Namine Snow. Welcome, why don't you take the free seat over there?"

Namine flinched before following the outstretched finger of her teacher, a slim, brunette woman who looked barely out of college, to the end of a long table where there was an empty chair. She could feel everyone watching her as she took her seat, making sure to keep her eyes down, and pulled out her class schedule. According to the somewhat crinkled paper, due to her haste of picking it up the hall floor, this was Literature in Practice with a Ms. Aerith. Wow, back in Hollowbastion her classes had basic names: English, Algebra, and P.E. They didn't even have AP classes at the public school because they couldn't find any eligible teacher to teach them. Here though, there had been many different classes to choose from. Twilight was obviously very different and very high class.

She read over her list, tuning out her teacher, noting down which ones she had for today-Intro to Calculus, Drawing: body and face, and Advanced Volleyball-twice before looking up to the girl on her right, whom had cleared her throat in order to get her attention. Namine could practically feel the color drain from her face as she recognized the pretty face. Oh damn, it was the raven haired girl from the hall.

"Did you enjoy my little show?" she asked a smirk on her dark red lips. Even though she was dressed in the uniform like everybody else, Namine guessed she was probably Goth. Her makeup was dark; a little heavy on her eyeliner and mascara but not horrifying so and her eye shadow was a glittery, smoky gray and black. She had a small diamond pierced on the left side of her nose, and her fingernails were trimmed short covered in black nail polish. A small black choker was around her neck, with a small silvery key attached to it, and her white blouse was lined with black lace around the collar and cuffs. She sure was beautiful in her own way.

"I-um, it was an accident," Namine squeaked, clutching onto her list.

"I bet. You seemed totally engrossed by it though," she leaned her face in closer, "did it turn you on?"

Namine blushed, her heart pounding erratically, "of course not! I was merely disgusted," she continued, fury building inside her. Who the hell did this girl think she was?

"If you want, you can come by the quad after the lesson. I'm sure my boyfriend wouldn't mind if you watched us again."

"Oh can it Xion!" The girl to Namine's left hissed, making both girls turn to her. Namine wasn't shocked to see that this girl turned out to be extremely gorgeous as well. She really looked like she belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine. Her hair was as long as Namine's, only straighter and a deep red wine color and a light pink headband was placed on her head. Her eyes were sky blue, and had minimal eyeliner and mascara decorating them, just enough to make them pop. Light pink shadow went from her eyelid to her eyebrow and a light blue was carefully placed into the crease matching the colors of her uniform perfectly. She wore a darker shade of pink lip gloss on her full lips. Her blouse was slightly unbuttoned at the top to show the light pink satin tie around her neck and neatly tucked into the front of her blouse, her fingernails were covered in expertly made acrylics, the tips a hot sparkly pink.

"Whatever you say princess Kairi," Xion scoffed before turning her head to the front of the class and ignoring Namine. The blonde smiled at her savior who in turn winked back.

Thirty minutes later, after what felt like some major literary déjà-vu, the bell finally rang, and everyone was suddenly pushing back chairs, gathering their stuff, and chatting at once. Namine waited as Xion grabbed her own black binder, decorated with pictures of her gorgeous boyfriend, another dirty blonde with a sitar, and a lanky boy with dyed fire truck red hair that was spiked back and had upside down teardrop tattoos under his eyes, and left the room. Not before shooting a quick glare at Namine first of course. With a sinking feeling in the pit of the blonde's stomach, she grabbed her own plain white binder, and slowly rose to her feet.

"You're Namine, right?

She looked up at Kairi, who was now standing beside the table, her hot pink binder in her hand also covered with pictures of her friends and strikingly shaped heart stickers. Namine felt relief as she observed the maroon haired girl was smiling kindly at her.

"Um yeah and…you're kairi?" Namine took notice of Kairi's light pink thigh high stockings that matched her tie and headband. So, the students were allowed to put a little individuality into their uniforms it seemed. There was a least one perk going to this damn school at least.

"Yup! Kairi Rose. Sorry about Xion, she's usually super quiet and reserved. I was actually surprised by how she acted with you," the girl nodded enthusiastically, her last name clicked a light in Namine's head as she realized this was the same girl that had been late this morning. Wow, she was actually talking to the daughter of the richest guy in town. "What happened?"

"I ran into her making out with her boyfriend in the hall before I came in," Namine replied following Kairi into the sea of students once the exited the classroom.

"Ha ha, really? That's kind of funny actually. They need to learn how to get a room, seriously."

"So this isn't just because I have bad luck then?"

"No way. Xion and Roxas could hardly care who spots them with their PDA antics."

"PDA?"

"Public Display of Affection," Kairi giggled.

"Oh."

"Well, I should probably head to my next class. You should totally meet up with me in the dining hall for lunch though," Kairi said her voice laced with excitement.

Um, sure. That would be great thanks," Namine smiled, eager to make friends.

"No problem, I'll catch ya later then."

NRNRNRNR

After school, Namine was supposed to take the bus home. Instead, she found herself being dragged by Kairi to her sporty, Barbie pink Audi, and driving to a small store called the Come and GO along with a pretty girl named Olette Swan. Yes, the brunette was as graceful as her name sounded. She hand long dark brown locks, styled into thick loose braids, tied by bright orange ribbons at the ends. Her eyes were a deep bottle green color, and to make them stand out more the girl used a light sparkly brown colored eyeliner and darker brown mascara. Her eyelid to her eyebrow was covered in light brown shadow and light green shadow was applied in the crease. Her lips were covered in cherry Chap Stick and her fingernails were clipped slightly short and painted in bright orange polish, the same color as her ribbons. Her navy blue vest was lined with the same color of orange and like Kairi her blouse had the three top buttons undone to show the bright orange, lacey camisole that she wore underneath. Her calf length stockings had a thin orange strip just decorating the hem.

"This place has the best smoothies in town," Kairi was saying as she easily found a free space and parked her car.

"Of course you have to get the Papou flavor. It's the yummiest," Olette agreed hopping out of the car and smoothing out her skirt.

"Papou? Is that a kind of fruit?" Namine asked with a confused glance at Kairi, causing both girls to giggle.

"Exactly. Think of it as a sort of passion fruit, but a teensy bit sweeter," Kairi nodded greeting the clerk at the register as they entered the store.

"Plus there's a legend behind the Papou fruit. If you share it with someone you really care about, you're destined to be together forever," Olette added with a dreamy sigh.

"That's…interesting," Namine chuckled, a hint of disbelief in her tone.

"The fruit is native to Destiny Islands, which is across the ocean from here. It's rare to see one in Twilight, without being pulverized that is," Kairi nudged Olette beginning to fill her clear plastic cup from the smoothie machine that was placed in the back of the store.

"So Namine, you went to Hollowbastion public high school?" Olette asked as Kairi filled two more cups.

"Uh, yeah," Namine flushed. "I do. I mean…I did."

"Until when?"

"A few weeks ago."

Olette cocked her head, studying Namine's face while processing the information. "You don't look like a girl that came from a public school. Let alone one like Hollowbastion."

"Letty!" Kairi scolded suddenly, turning to glare at the brunette as she placed clear plastic covers over their drinks.

"Oh I'm sorry! I wasn't trying to make fun of you at all! I was just saying you're really pretty and you carry yourself like...one of…us," the brunette trailed off, her face a light shade of pink.

"That's okay," Namine shrugged taking her smoothie from Kairi who was looking sympathetic. "I was actually scared that I looked like a fish out of water."

"Well, that's definitely not the case. Plus me and Letty here will help you fit in and make tons of friends," Kairi smiled encouragingly.

"That's right! You stick with us and you'll do okay," Olette nodded.

Namine stared at the thick orange and yellow mixture in her cup before glancing at her two new friends. "Thanks."

**A/N: Well? I hope you liked this chapter. I know I did, I especially like writing their uniforms and how they each put their own little touch into them. If I were in a school that made me wear a uniform I would definitely do that LOL, and how bout Xion and Roxas! I know right, it's awful. But can you honestly expect someone like Roxas to be single in high school surrounded by all the pretty people in Kingdom Hearts? I couldn't, and in real life I'm sure he wouldn't be single either, and Xion seemed like the perfect person. That is until Namine waltzes in and changes his perspective of life ;) Remember, I'll definitely be putting more Roxas in, and I won't forget Sora, Pence, Hayner and all those others out there. A few of them are important! So please stay tuned and review if you would!**

**As the world turns and the grass grows the Waterfalls!=)**


	3. We've Got Your Back

**A/N: Presenting….Chapter three! Yay! Let's party ;) hint, hint! LOL and OMG more new characters! Oh! I do not own the song "Body Language" sung by Jesse McCartney!**

Chapter Three

We've Got Your Back

"Wow honey. That dress is absolutely stunning."

Namine turned her blue eyes on her mother, who was sitting in the blue plush chair a few feet away, her face set into a determined and focused look.

"You've said that about all of them mom," Namine sighed looking back into the three way mirror, slightly intimidated as she could see herself from all three angles. She really didn't need to know that she looked bad in three different ways. Seriously. She glanced as Kairi and Olette who stood on each side of her, examining the dress with their fashion expertise. Namine was really grateful that she had found them in such a short time of living in Twilight Town. It had already been two weeks and she had bonded with them as if she had known them her whole life, like they grew up in diapers or something like that. They were meant to be the best of friends. Namine easily realized she would do anything for them and surprisingly they seemed to feel the same. When Namine had mentioned over the phone of what she planned to do for the weekend, like picking out bridesmaid dresses, she hadn't expected them to practically beg to take them with her. How they found this fun Namine would never understand. It was even more surprising when Namine's mom found the time to join them, actually saying so when Namine had told her she planned to bring her friends.

"I know I have, but I definitely like this one best," her mom replied, rising to her feet and swooshing Namine's dress skirt with a smile.

"She's right Nami. This one suits you perfectly," Kairi agreed from her left, dressed in a hot pink t-shirt, washed out blue jean mini skirt, and hot pink converse. Her hair was in a teased ponytail and her bangs pulled back with a hairpin. Where were those paparazzi?

"The blue certainly does light up the dark blue eyes you have," Olette added. Her brown hair was in a bun, two strands curled and pulled down to frame her face, her full bangs also slightly curled under. She was wearing a brown spaghetti shirt, a gold sparkly hibiscus decorated the lower left side, and dark jean peddle pushers rolled so they were above her knees and to finish the look she wore brown wedges. Namine tugged at the thin straps of her dress and reexamined the material, biting her lip as she twirled slightly.

"I don't know guys, isn't it a little too…girly?" the blonde said sheepishly.

"It's a wedding, you're supposed to look too girly," Olette huffed placing hands on her hips.

"Think of it as a prom or something Nami. That way you won't feel overly dressed, besides you'll feel more comfortable in it when the wedding comes around," Kairi giggled.

"I like them, these girls are right on the dot," Kelly swooshed the skirt again, nudging her daughter in the process. Namine nodded and observed the dress once more, running her fingertips across the design. It really wasn't the look that bothered her, it was the price. She really didn't want her mom to spend all her money on a dress that she wasn't planning on wearing. She also had to buy three more for the other bridesmaids. The dress was perfect though, and it went well with her mom's wedding colors. The blue was a sky blue, made out of several filmy layers so that it wouldn't be see through. The bodice fit snugly around her chest and torso while a darker blue thread twirled across the breast hem and then down her right side in the form of flowers and thin vines and leaves. The skirt was made to be slightly poufy, also in the same color of sky blue, and it flowed elegantly to her knees, and darker blue lace underneath was just seeable so that it looked perfect. It was destined to be in her mom's wedding.

"So then is this the dress you want all your bridesmaids to wear?" Namine asked turning to her mother with a defeated smile.

"Yes I do. This dress is perfect," Kelly nodded, laughing as Kairi and Olette squealed girlishly.

"It's just a dress you guys," Namine sighed rolling her eyes playfully.

"I'm so jealous of you Nami. You get the perfect excuse to dress up," Olette sighed, helping the blonde out of the dress once they got into the dressing room.

"Not for another year Letty," Namine laughed pulling on her white tank top and dark blue jean short-shorts that had a few rips and threads falling from the hem, while Kairi hung the dress carefully. "Besides prom is long before the wedding and we'll dress up for that, as well as all the other dances the school throws."

"Still, I've never gone to a wedding before," the brunette replied sorrowfully.

"It gets old after the third time trust me," Namine said lightly, concealing the bitterness she really felt, "but I'll make sure you both receive the invitations to come next summer," she added seeing Olette's narrowed green eyes.

"I think Hayner will pop the question soon enough anyways. You guys have been together since eighth grade after all," Kari grinned sneakily, watching the brunette flush heavily.

"Speaking of my charming boyfriend, he wants to know if you guys wanna go to Squall's around nine thirty tonight," Olette mentioned with thoughtfulness.

"Isn't that the night club downtown?" Namine questioned nervously.

"Don't worry Nam's. Were allowed in," Kairi laughed playfully at the blonde while Olette nodded opening the door so they could help Namine's mom book the dress in four different sizes and pay for them.

NRNRNRNR

A few hours later Namine and her friends escaped her mom, who declared she needed to go back home and continue writing, and walked around the square of Twilight Town. Namine stood a little away from the jewelry booth that Kairi was at, not particularly interested in anything and glanced up at the tower that was up the hill a ways. It was the clock tower that made Twilight Town well…Twilight Town. It stood against the sky in all its gold bricked glory, casting a shadow above the train station. There were humongous clocks on each of the four sides, that way whatever part of Twilight that you were at, you could look up and see what time it was. Wait a second. Were there people up there? She raised a hand to shield the sun and narrowed her eyes. Sure enough, somebody was near the top, just above the clock sitting on the edge. Maybe it was just her imagination. Yeah, that had to be it.

"I say we go to our spot," Olette sighed from beside Namine, twirling a strand of hair and holding up a small ring at the same time.

"Bored already?" Namine asked forcing her eyes to turn away from the clock and turn to the brunette who looked at her sheepishly.

"Honestly, I'd rather find someplace where I can relax myself for tonight. I think something major is gonna happen," she replied setting the ring down.

"Major? Like what kind of major?" Kairi asked turning to Olette with raised eyebrows.

"I don't know for sure, but Hayner sounded really nervous about something, but I think I detected a little bit of excitement in his tone," her green eyes were sparkling dreamily and Namine glanced at Kairi with a grin.

"You know, I was totally joking earlier today. But, I can't really think of what else he would have to tell you besides asking the question," Kairi giggled making Olette frown.

"I doubt he'd ask me while were still in school Kai, you idiot. Maybe he's gonna give me a promise ring or something," she implied which made both her blonde and red headed friends squeal.

"That is major!" Namine hugged Olette before Kairi linked arms with them.

"To the Usual Spot!" She announced leading them to a short cut through the alley.

The Usual Spot really belonged to Olette's boyfriend Hayner. When his parents and divorced back in the sixth grade, he ran away and found this little empty space in the back of Twilight. It wasn't very big, but with his good pals Pence, Sora, Olette, and Kairi they brought in boxes and crates to make chairs and tables. Kairi even managed to grab a couch that her parents wanted to throw away when buying new furniture. Olette had found an old curtain at the school to hang in the front of the area for a little privacy. Hayner had announced that any one of his friends could use it when they felt like it, when they really needed somewhere to go to just get away. As they grew up, they used it more as just a hangout place and even stashed some alcohol where their parents would never be able to find it. Namine had been welcomed into their secret place with open arms, and she really did love the place.

"What's gonna happen when we all graduate?" Kairi asked as she sat on a crate, sipping on her smoothie from where she bought at Come and Go along the way.

"Were going to college, duh," Namine replied popping up her cover from the soda she bought, she really hadn't taken to the Papou smoothie, and let Olette pour a little rum into it before swirling it around with her straw.

"That's not what I meant," Kairi growled handing her smoothie to Olette. Those girls did come up with the weirdest things. Papou and rum did not sound appealing to her taste buds at all.

"We'll stay in touch of course. It's not like we're gonna separate and never speak again," Olette answered putting the small bottle away and leaning into the little velvet red couch and sipping from her own smoothie. Namine glanced at them curiously. They had been best friends since elementary school; it would seem weird that Kairi would ask such a question. Wasn't it obvious that she and Olette would stay on good terms for most of their lives? Sheesh and they called her blonde.

"What about you Nami?" Kairi turned to her, her sky blue eyes looking sad.

"Come on Kai. Don't get all depressive and emo on us now," Olette sighed rolling her eyes tiredly before Namine could answer.

"I want Nams to know that we'll always stay friends though," Kairi said, "that just because she's new to our group doesn't mean we don't care for her the same way."

"You don't think that do you Nami?" Olette gasped turning to the blonde who sweat dropped. What were they thinking?

"Of course I don't," she answered quickly noticing their worried faces. "I mean, I like you guys so of course I'll try to keep in contact," she phrased, a little concerned that they might think she was a little confident on the matter.

"Good," Olette sighed smiling as she took a long sip, "because we like you too."

"It's like I've known you my whole life Nami. Is that weird?" Kairi asked tilting her head to the side.

"No way! I feel the same way," the blonde laughed happily. It's nice to know when feelings are reciprocated. A nice thing indeed.

NRNRNRNR

By the time they arrived at Squall's, it was nine o' clock and all three girls and a nice buzz going on. Kairi pulled up, parked, and eyed the bouncer standing by the door with recognition.

"Perfect," she said pulling down the visor to check her makeup. "It's Riku."

"We don't even need our ID's!" Olette exclaimed throwing the fake piece of plastic in the back seat, just barely missing Namine's head.

"Wait, I thought we were allowed in," Namine said narrowing her heavily made eyes at them. She usually saved her dramatic makeup for the night when she was really trying to impress.

"We are silly. But we need ID's to drink," Olette replied.

"So this Riku guy just, let's you?" the blonde raised an eyebrow curiously.

"He graduated a couple years ahead of us, but he was in our group," Kairi explained.

"He and our little Kai also dated," Olette added adjusting her orange strapless top and smoothing out her white mini skirt once they stumbled out of the vehicle and onto the crowded sidewalk. She wore orange wedges and her hair was straightened and little bows were on each side of her head.

"We broke up once he started college, he thought I was "to young"," Kairi said using air quotes for emphasis. The red head was right, how could anyone mistake her for young, especially since she was dressed in a low cut blouse, covered in pink and black flowers with the sleeves falling off her shoulders and wore light blue skinny jeans with pink heels. Her wine red hair was flared out prettily.

"Interesting," Namine chuckled. As they walked up, Riku eyed them from where he was sitting on a stool propping the door open. Through the door you could see flashing white lights that immediately turned to colored, loud music leaked from the building. Squall's was an eighteen-and-up club, but you had to be twenty one to drink. Only a stamp could prove that and allow it.

"Kairi," he cooed reaching for her hand and placing a stamp upon it without any question or requests for an ID. "How's senior year at the high school?"

"Please Riku, stop joking around. You know I go to college at the university silly. Not that I mind you mistaking me for _young_," she smiled dangerously at him, but playfully.

"Of course. Oh, whose this pretty face?" he asked looking at Namine with interest. The blonde blushed heavily, feeling a bit insecure as he took in her form fitting white mini dress and four inch strappy heels. She had even curled her natural wavy hair into the spirals curls that her mom had been blessed with.

"I'm Namine. I just transferred from Hollowbastion," she replied glancing at Kairi who nodded with reassurance.

"Nice to meet you Namine. I'm Riku Thorton," the older boy replied with a sensual smile and taking her hand to place a stamp on it. He was quite handsome, beautiful even. He had long silvery hair and the prettiest turquoise colored eyes that held a certain amount of confidence in their depths. His gray tank showed off his large muscles, letting everyone know that he seemed to work out all the time. He wore gray fingerless gloves and black cargo pants. On his feet were dark blue sneakers. Very hot.

"Nice to meet you too," she blushed, pulling out her hand so Olette could get stamped.

"Enjoy yourselves," he called after them, not noticing how Olette snorted and Kairi giggled.

"He is such a playboy," Olette scoffed, "stay away from him Nami. He's a douche," she warned as Kairi nodded once they entered the crowded room. "I'll get us a table," the brunette called out to them before disappearing into the bodies of people dancing and talking around them. Namine followed Kairi as they made their way through the crowd, dodging people, until they got a decent spot by the beer taps. Squall's was certainly full tonight, the band hadn't even come on yet, but the bar was too deep and air was full of smoke, thick and mixed with the smell of sweat and alcohol.

Namine hoisted herself up on her elbows, trying to help Kairi with waving down the bartender, when she felt someone brush up against her. She tried to pull away, but was unable to because it was incredibly packed where she stood, so she turned to the person to politely tell them to back off. She would have so done it too, if the guy hadn't been the gorgeous one she had run into on her first day at school. Wow, that memory was still painful. Oh crap. He seemed to remember too because his dark sea blue eyes lit up with recognition. Oh man, he was so hot. Even better looking than that pretty boy Riku.

His golden hair was the same as she remembered, short and sexily styled so that the golden locks were swept to the left as if there was a strong wind blowing, causing his bangs to fall into his mesmerizing cobalt orbs. Oh gosh, those eyes were so dark, the darkest blue she had ever seen, and held such a dangerous look in them. His face was smooth, and the skin flawless with a slight tan and his full lips were forming into an annoyingly attractive smirk. He was of average build, a little on the thin side, and he was dressed in a black buttoned collared long sleeved shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and dark blue jeans with a bleached-out look on the pockets. On his feet were white sneakers and on his right wrist was a black and white checkered wristband and white and black rings on his pointer and index fingers.

"I've seen you before," he said, his velvety voice causing Namine's cheeks to flush by the mere sound.

"I-I don't think so," she replied with embarrassment. Please oh please think you're mistaken.

"Well I know so. You're that girl who interrupted me and my girlfriend in the hall," he said raising an eyebrow in amusement, his smirk turning into a soft smile. Damn him.

"Oh. So you're that…guy," she squeaked looking around behind her for Kairi, and groaned when she saw that her friend had been waylaid buy a guy in a red t-shirt that Namine recognized as Kairi's boyfriend, Sora Hikari.

"Yeah, I'm that guy. The name's Roxas. Roxas Hikari," he laughed giving her a charming wink. Wait. _What?_

"Namine Snow," she replied shyly. She frowned when he let out another laugh, causing her spine to tingle.

"I already knew that," he explained, smirking when her eyes widened.

"Oh." What the hell? She'd never introduced herself before and she hadn't seen him around school since that awful morning. So how the hell could he know? She doubted Xion would have told him either, that dark haired vixen hated her.

"Hey Nami," she felt Kairi tap her on the shoulder and Namine glanced at the redhead who was frowning at the blonde hottie, "we should go find Olette."

"I'm right behind you," Namine replied turning back to Roxas only to see his back as he walked away with two glasses in his hand. _'Odd'_ she thought sadly, _'I was hoping he would join us.'_

"What were you talking to Roxas for?" Kairi called out from in front of her. Both girls were following Sora as he led them through the crush of people, elbowing and shoving through them to make a path. He let out a whoop when he spotted Olette who was sitting in a corner booth, head propped up on one elbow, looking bored.

"He was making fun of me," Namine said.

"Typical," the red head snorted.

"What's typical?" Olette questioned as they slid in, Namine by Olette and Kairi by Sora. Sora was one of the more popular boys at TPS, with sky blue eyes that always sparkled with joy and adventure, and a smile that seemed always present on his handsome face. He was lucky Kairi had snagged him when she did; because it was known that he had a bunch of annoying fan girls that were basically just creepy stalkers. Who wouldn't be a fan? The boy had uniquely styled dark brunette hair, spiked in every direction and still looking quite fabulous. Yeah, he would definitely be the boy beside Kairi on a fashion magazine, especially when wearing his red quicksilver t-shirt and washed out light blue jeans. Oh right! His face…now that Namine was observing it; it did look a little similar to Roxas's face. Weird.

"Roxas being rude to Nami. Don't worry about it either, he's like that with everyone," Kairi said patting her arm before turning to the waitress.

"Oooh, I would stay away from him too Namine. That guy is worse than Riku and not in the playboy kind of way," Olette said in a low voice, "he is bad news."

"He's not rude to me Kairi," Sora informed the redhead when she turned back to the group, ignoring Olette's warning and not bothering to stop when Namine opened her mouth to inform them that he hadn't been rude, but rather playful.

"I wonder why?" Kairi scoffed, rolling her eyes at her dense boyfriend. Namine in fact, did wonder why the boy said that.

"Are you guys related?" She asked him suddenly, flushing when he turned his eyes on her and smiled cheerfully.

"Yes we are actually. Were first cousins and we also share the same last name. His dad is my dad's brother," he explained. Well, that sure made sense.

"Can you believe Sora's dad actually owns this club," Kairi giggled nudging her boyfriend.

"No way, so that means we could get caught any second!" Namine gasped with surprise.

"We could, but if he came around all we'd have to do is hide our hands," Olette replied. Duh. Why hadn't she thought of that?

"So are you and Roxas…close?" Namine asked Sora who was taking a sip of the drink the waitress had brought.

"Well, its kinda hard to explain. I mean we used to be, that is until we got into high school and he joined the wrong crowd. I mean everyone in his group was like older than him and I think all in some kind of gang or something. I don't really know 'cuz I think there all a bunch of weirdo's, but Roxas seems to like them. Since then we've gotten really far apart," the boy shrugged.

"I used to like love him," Olette informed making Namine look at her with wide eyes, "when we hung out in elementary school he was my best friend. That was before I started hanging out with Kairi. He used to be cool and all but now, just another weirdo. A nobody." Ouch, that sounded harsh.

"Oh."

"He's practically emo Nams, and look what he did to Xion!" Kairi exclaimed with a weary glance at Sora who looked a little uncomfortable. Namine understood him completely; his friends were dissing his cousin. His family. So why wasn't he telling them to shut up?

"Xion's a little rude, Roxas couldn't have done that to her," Namine replied looking back at the redhead.

"That's where you are wrong my friend. Xion was the shyest and sweetest girl at Twilight Private School. Everyone adored her, and when she decided to join the group Roxas was in because she adored him like every other friggen girl, she turned into a bitch," Kairi argued.

"I don't blame her though, he is smokin' for a freak," Olette laughed as Kairi nodded slowly with agreement.

"Can we please talk about something more pleasant that's not about my cousin?" Sora piped up leaning back into his seat and throwing his legs onto Kairi's lap.

"Yeah we can actually," Olette nodded, "like where in the hell is my boyfriend? He said to meet him here, not wait on him."

"Maybe he's running a bit late," Sora replied suddenly rubbing the back of his head.

"That's pleasant?" Namine giggled shoving her shoulder into the brunette girl's who only fumed.

"I didn't know Roxas was in a band," Kairi said making everyone turn to the stage to watch a group of boys set up. Namine recognized them to be the same boys in the pictures that decorated Xion's black binder. The lead singer happened to be the golden blonde hottie Roxas, he was setting up the mike, a black and white checkered electric guitar strapped around his shoulders, and the drummer was the lanky bright red haired boy with the upside down teardrop tattoos that were underneath his eyes. Strumming on an electric blue sitar was a shorter boy, still taller than Roxas, who had dirty blonde hair styled into a mullet.

"Oh, he loves to sing," Sora shrugged not particularly surprised.

"Hey sorry I'm late," a deep voice greeted. Hayner Anderson, Olette's long time boyfriend appeared, making the brunette girl smile cheerfully,

"Where've you been?" She asked.

"I had a late shift at the grocery store. Hey Letty, let's go grab a drink," the dirty blonde haired boy said. Namine wondered what the sneaky look that he exchanged with Sora meant as she rose from her seat to let Olette escape and walk away with him. Anyone could see why she was infatuated; he was handsome with large chocolate brown eyes and a charming, cocky grin. He had this personality that just claimed he was the leader and also gave out a confident aura. Surprisingly, most boys at TPS seemed to have that quality about them. In fact, so did all the friggen girls. Did anyone else find that a little weird?

"_Parlez vous François?_

_Konichiwa_

_Come and move it my way_

_Hey, little chica from Guadalupe_

_That thing you got behind you is amazing_

_Now, I don't speak Spanish, Japanese, or French_

_But the way that body's talkin' definitely makes sense_

_It's her, her body, her body, her body language_

_It's her, her body, her body, her body language_

_The way she moves around _

_When she grinds to the beat_

_Breaking it down so articulately_

_It's her, her body, her body, her body language_

_It's her, her body, her body, her body language_

_That make you wanna say Hey…(ey!)_

_That make you wanna say Hey…(ey!)_

_It's her, her body, her body, her body language_

_It's her, her body, her body, her body language_

_C'mon"_

Namine turned to the stage as she tuned into the song that was flowing from Roxas's lips. Wow. He sounded really good, and he looked really comfortable on stage holding the microphone to his mouth as he walked and danced along to the song. Sometimes he would reach out to a hand that stretched out to him and other times he would wave out to the crowd, especially when he was singing out hey. She didn't know how long she sat there, listening as he sang different tunes, all with a little upbeat tempo when she heard Kairi gasp.

"Letty what's wrong?" Kairi's sympathetic voice broke through Namine's trance enough so that the blonde could turn her head and see the brunette girl walking over to them. But as Kairi had spotted, something was terribly wrong. Olette's eyes were swollen and red, mascara dripping from them and onto her cheeks like black rain. Namine noticed that Sora didn't look the least bit surprised by Olette's condition when she turned to him.

"Hayner b-b-broke up with m-m-me." She said, her voice gulping in air. "He just d-d-dumped me."

"Oh no," Namine said as Kairi leaped out of her seat to embrace her friend in a comforting hug.

"Just now?" Kairi asked.

"Y-Y-Yes!" the girl sobbed pathetically.

"Er, what did he say exactly?" Sora asked, slightly uncomfortable when Kairi turned to glare at him. Namine was interested in what Hayner had to say, but Sora was a little insensitive about the timing.

"H-he told m-me that he needed a b-b-break so he could see o-o-other people. That we've b-been together for too long," Olette hiccupped, swiping at her eyes and making the black mess a little worse.

"Jerk," Namine piped up, "you're better off without him Letty."

'I l-l-love him!" Olette wailed, crumpling to the floor and bringing Kairi down with her. Okay, so yeah that was bad on Namine's part. Way to be all comforting.

"Let's get out of here," Kairi said turning to Namine. The blonde nodded, coming over to help pick their friend up off the floor.

"I'll see you guys Monday," Sora called after them.

NRNRNRNR

Of course Kairi stopped at Come and Go once Olette's sobs got a little quieter and she whimpered that she needed a Papou smoothie. So the red head left the car, leaving Namine to comfort the sniffling girl who was suddenly rambling about all the awful things that Hayner happened to be. When Kairi entered the vehicle Olette closed her mouth and received her drink, quieting as she took small sips. Namine sighed and climbed into the front seat, grabbing her coke from Kairi and looked out the window as Kairi began to drive them to their homes. For all of the other nights that Hayner had a chance to be a retard he had to pick this night, especially when they had been talking about weddings for most of the day. Namine would bet her bottom dollar that Kairi was feeling worse for her comments earlier that day. They were just nearing Namine's neighborhood when the blonde realized the Kairi was slowing down. "There's Hayner," the red head whispered leaning over.

Namine looked toward the coffee bean shack that was on the side of the rode and sure enough, Hayner and a couple of his friends were standing around the parking lot. You could tell it was him just by his spiked hair, green camouflage shorts, black t-shirt, and the frayed gray vest he wore over it. What really got on Namine's nerves was that the idiot was smiling, like he didn't just break up with the most important girl of his life. Asshole. Namine glanced behind her, Olette was slumped over in her seat, the smoothie was probably somewhere on the floor, and she was holding her head in her hands oblivious to everything around her and listening to the radio. "Pull in," Namine told Kairi turning back to face the front so that she could roll down the window.

"You or me?"

"Me," Namine replied. She really did need this. It would be for all the quick changes, for her bastard of a father, and for Olette, whom she had come to adore.

"You ready?" Kairi asked.

Namine nodded and leaned out the window so that her soda was balanced her hand. As Kairi stopped a bit from where the boys were standing, Namine took her arm back and with a determined throw, tossed her drink into the air. Both girls watched as it turned, almost in slow motion, before hitting Hayner right on the back of his head. He looked up in shock and immediately turned angry when Namine waved to him bursting out into laughter. Kairi was off like a rocket, pulling out of the parking lot with a loud screech while Hayner shouted profanities at them. His voice made the brunette in the back seat turn to look out the back window with horror all over her features.

"Don't worry Letty," Kairi said still giggling, "We've always got your back."

**A/N: That's the end of Chapter three! Whoa, what a lot of drama for one chapter! But I do love it and hopefully you guys did too. I would also love y'all if you reviewed once you read this otherwise I won't feel that you really don't appreciate my story. And if y'all are the sweethearts that I think you are to be then you'll grant this teeny wish of mine =)Be sure to stay tuned for Chapter Four!**

**As the world turns and the grass grows, the Waterfalls! =)**


	4. To See The Real You

**A/N: Had a blast at the lake today! Got my tan and my hair kinda bleached but it looks okay. I hope it does anyways. So here is chapter four and yes my updates have been a little fast but if I don't get more reviews than I'm definitely gonna slow down some. Seriously, most of this comes because I can't sleep so I stay up till like five in the morning. I think it's gonna turn into a problem cuz I have plans throughout the day…I'm gonna so end up dead because I'm sleep deprived =D any who, the father is mine! So don't think it's some Kingdom Hearts character please. Enjoy!**

Chapter Four

To See The Real You

When Namine had been a kid, she remembered that her dad used to sing to her. It was always at bedtime, when he would come in to say good-night. He'd sit on the edge of her bed, brush back her hair with his fingers, his breath smelling a twinge bitter as he kissed her forehead and told her that he'd see her in the morning. When he tried to leave, she'd protest, and beg for a song. Usually, if he wasn't in too bad a mood, he'd oblige.

Back then, Namine had thought that her father made up all the songs he sang to her, which was why it was so weird the first time she heard one of them on the radio. It was like discovering that some part of you wasn't yours at all, that you really had nothing to claim. But that was later. At the time, there were only the songs, and they were still theirs, no one else's.

Her father's songs always fell into the same three categories: love songs, sad songs, and sad love songs. She fell asleep to "I Hate This Part" and a sad soon-to-be-breakup, and "What I've Done" and a man's misery of himself. That was the song, sung by Linkin Park that made her think of him most, then and now.

It had everything her father liked-heartbreak, self loathing, begging of forgiveness, and such a loneliness. Back then, to Namine they had just been pretty words set to a hard melody and sung by a voice she loved. It had only been later, when she would lie in the dark and think about the words that had been etched into her memory. It seemed so unfair.

She had only vague memories of seeing her dad after the divorce was made final. He'd take her for breakfast on the weekends of a dinner during the week. He never came inside the house or up to the door when he came to get her; instead he waited in the driveway and sat behind the wheel, as he looked straight ahead. Sometimes when she hopped into the passenger seat he would turn his head and say hi, most times though he wouldn't say anything and just drive out without a sound. Maybe it was because of the distance he had showed back then that made Namine have a hard time picturing him whenever she tried to remember him. There were a couple memories besides him singing to her, like reading to her as she sat in his lap tucked safe into the crook of his arm, and another of him grilling steaks out on the patio during a cookout. But even with these few things, it was as if even when he was around, he was already distant, a kind of ghost.

She didn't remember how or why the visits ceased. She couldn't recall an argument or incident. He just left one day and never came back. Like he was there and then he wasn't. Like he had been alive and then he had died. It never had made any sense to her until the fifth grade. Due to the daughter-father dances and some of the family vacation trips with her friends, she began to miss her own dad. She had practically obsessed over him and wondered how he just vanished into thin air. Then her bubble burst when she begged her mom to tell her what happened, only to find out that he had remarried and already had three kids. By then her mother was already on her third marriage and working on another divorce. She stopped asking questions soon after.

Namine never really had anything constant in her life, not with her father who left her in the dust for a different family, not with her mother who locked herself up to write and the spared time was with different men, and not even with the few friends she gained at Hollowbastion. She had only counted on herself after a while, not really trusting anyone else to come into her life and know everything about her. Sure she loved her mom and would do anything for her, hell she basically took care of her mom. She had never really allowed herself to think about her past, and empty and bland that is was, because she felt weak and self centered afterwards. But on days like today, when the sky was gray and the air chilly and the clouds were crying themselves, she gave an exception. Class was a little boring anyways, and she'd rather ignore Ms. Aerith who was telling them about conjunctions, and she'd rather avoid Xion who would glare at her if they happened to make eye contact.

Kairi had been absent for a few days now, along with a heartbroken Olette who just couldn't bear to come to school to see Hayner. So now she felt even more alone, not able to have the guts to hang out with Sora or Pence by herself and avoided all others who approached her as best as she could. Even Roxas whom she had seen more and more of at school was on her stay away list. Not that he tried to talk to her or anything; and it wasn't as if she was upset about it. With a tired huff she propped her chin onto her hand and stared out the window, almost able to see a figure walking away into the distance as she stood on her porch and watched him leave without a reasonable goodbye in the glass.

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When Namine came out of school in the afternoon after the final bell, no one was waiting for her.

Normally there would be a bubbly Kairi and a very impatient Olette standing right outside the classroom so that they could hit Come and Go before going to a house to study or talk about clothes and boys. It was odd as she stared at the now empty spot where they usually stood at, like she expected them to show up out of nowhere. This was definitely not the best of weeks. She pulled out her white umbrella and opened it as she stepped out from the eve. Everywhere around her there were rushing students hurrying to their cars or to the bus so they could escape from the wetness and go home as soon as possible. As nice as that sounded, she rather felt like walking home today, get some time to think about some things.

Twilight Town was very different in the rain. Usually it was so cheerful, people were usually in the square hitting a ball as many times as they could before it touched the ground, couples could be seen at the café outside holding hands and talking about sweet nothings to each other, other people would usually gather around the stores buying clothes and jewelry. The sun would shine and make the gold bricks all around shine in the light, bringing a certain warmth that made the path home more enjoyable. Today everything was dark and dreary, making the bricks look dull and soggy. The square was almost empty, only a few people with umbrellas and jackets scattered the sidewalks as they walked to their businesses and homes. It made the atmosphere look as sad as she felt.

Wait a second. She stopped where she was, holding her breath as she recognized the boy a few hundred feet away from her. He was just standing there, leaning against the stone wall building of the ice cream store with his hands shoved into his school slacks. His head was bowed; as if he was interested in the ground, and his usually side swept golden locks were soaked and plastered down to his head. She didn't know how long she stood there, watching him as he stayed in the same position without moving. She took a deep breath, readying herself before taking the steps that would bring her too him. The rain must have drowned out the sounds of her movement towards him, because he looked startled when she stood close enough to bring the umbrella over both of their heads and smiled cheerfully at him.

"Hello, Roxas." She greeted closing her eyes as she smiled her sweetest.

He was quiet for a moment's hesitation before replying, "Uh, hi." His voice sounded shocked and if anything a little shy.

"What are you doing in the rain without an umbrella silly? Didn't you know you were going to get wet?" She chuckled. She watched as his dumbfounded expression turned to one of tenderness, a gentle smile forming on his sweet full lips. He was still in his school uniform like her; the only difference was his being entirely soaked. His navy blue blazer was completely unbuttoned, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his white collared shirt un-tucked and the first three buttons undone. He still wore his checkered wristband and the rings, his navy blue slacks did look a little washed out though. He wore black sneakers on his feet.

"What are you doing walking home when it's raining? Aren't you usually with Kairi?"

Her smile turned into a frown and she lowered her eyes. "Kairi hasn't been going to school. She's been a little busy," she answered quietly.

"I heard about Olette and Hayner. Its traveled around fast you know."

"Interesting."

"Just because they broke up doesn't mean she should skip school. It's stupid to waste your future on a guy who made a stupid mistake."

Namine's eyes shot back up, only to see that he had turned his head away from her so that he could look straight ahead. Now why did the gesture seem so familiar? "I guess I'll have to tell her that then."

"Maybe you should. Look I should get going; you probably don't want anyone to see us together."

Namine bit her lip as he pushed himself off the wall with his elbows and began to walk away from her. So maybe she deserved that. But why did it hurt so much?

"Roxas wait!" She called, breathing out a breath she hadn't realized that she had been holding. With quick footsteps she neared him again, raising up her umbrella a smidge more now that he was standing at full height and looked up into his confused expression. "Why are you being so distant?" That wasn't what she had planned on saying, but that's what had come out. Damn it. She needed to work on her communication skills a bit.

"Why am I being distant?" he gave out a short laugh before surprising her and lowering himself so that he could lean in close to her face. "I'm not the one avoiding you am I?"

Oh. So he did know that she was doing that. Well shit. "I-I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize to me Namine. Just don't ask me stupid questions like that and expect a stupid answer. I'm not the one that cares about my reputation."

"I-It's not that!" she argued, frowning at him in anger.

"Oh? Then why?" Well how rude. Now he looked amused, as if this was some game quiz or something. Jerk.

She watched his eyes, observing how the orbs twitched as he looked intensely into her own. "Fine, maybe I was avoiding you because of that. I've heard some strange stories about you and was told to stay away." She gave in with an indignant huff.

"Do you always listen to what other people say?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"So you're denying everything that's said about you then?" She hoped that she didn't sound too hopeful. That would only cause problems. She felt disappointment as he leaned back and stood up straight, taking the umbrella from her hands so she didn't have to stretch out more for him.

"Nah your friends are right, you should definitely stay away from me," he laughed, enjoying the outrageous look her expression took.

"What?"

"I'm not a great person to get involved with Nami," he winked, her angry face softening as she blushed from his flirtatious gesture, "I hang out with a rough crowd. Someone like you wouldn't be able to handle them or the things I do."

"What do you do?"

"Not important, maybe you should be getting home. Your parents may be missing you."

"No one misses me." He stopped at the tone of her voice. It didn't sound sad, it didn't sound angry, but it did sound as though she was used to saying that sort of thing. "Roxas, I want to know you, at least give me a chance," she sighed looking up at him with a soft and caring look.

"Namine…"

"We don't have to tell anyone. It can be our little secret," it sounded so foreign coming out of her mouth, but she couldn't dismiss the excitement that bubbled out of her. She could have a secret all her own, all their own. Something she hadn't had since her dad and his voice singing gently into her ear all those years ago disappeared.

"Why?" he sounded confused at her request, a little hesitant.

"I want to see the real you Roxas."

**A/N: And there you go! A little short but still full of detail and information. Please read and review thanks!**

**As the world turns and the grass grows, the waterfalls!=) **


	5. The Way Things Go

**A/N: Well, this story has quite a lot of hits and visitors but hardly any reviews…oh well I guess. I sure do hope people like it because I might not feel people think that I'm an okay writer. But anyway, let's get on with the story.**

Chapter Five

The Way Things Go

Kairi and Olette had been back at school about a week when Kairi finally convinced both her friends that they should try out for cheerleading. At first, Namine had protested against the idea, arguing that she had no coordination what so ever and hadn't been in gymnastics since she had been ten and was very out of practice. It wasn't until Olette looked at her with her sad green bottle eyes that she changed her mind. It seemed the brunette thought it would be good for all of them, since distractions were very much needed.

"Besides, it's our senior year and we should all do something together!" Kairi giggled as the dressed in tanks and spandex in the girls' locker room after school.

Namine sighed, shaking her head before pulling her blonde hair into a high ponytail. She wondered how she ever became such good friends with Kairi. It was plain as day that the two were very mismatched as friends, almost complete opposites of each other. All the girls at school hated Kairi because she was flat-out gorgeous, with a perfect figure, red wine locks, huge blue eyes, and full lips. She had the most popular guy in school as her boyfriend, not to mention her family had a lot of money, and behind it all she was one of the nicest girls in town. Her sparkling and outgoing personality was the only thing that Namine really envied of her friend, because while Kairi shone in the spotlight, she would rather pull away from it. But it still seemed like Kairi was her other half, the sister she had always wanted but never had. They even looked very similar is what Olette had said one day while doing make-over's.

As they walked to the gym, a pack of girls by the bleachers turned to look at the three girls, narrowing their eyes, mouths already whispering. This happened to be the standard reaction for them, anywhere they went, from Wal-Mart to the movies, from both strangers and schoolmates. It almost bothered Namine, being the shy person she was, but Olette and Kairi didn't even seem to notice it.

"I don't want to do this," Namine complained, even as Olette was writing all three of their names on the sign-up table, which was manned by Selphie Robbins, head cheerleader, and runner-up to Kairi for Homecoming Queen the year before.

"Sure you do," Kairi said easily, flashing her million dollar smile at Selphie, who smiled back just as fake, tossing her red ponytail. "It'll be fun."

"So Namine," Selphie asked the nervous blonde, "how are you doing?"

Namine looked at her. Selphie's head was tilted to the side, her face serious. "Fine," Namine said.

She nodded, and then dipped her honey brown head and smiled. "How do you like Twilight?"

"I like it well enough," Namine replied becoming confused.

"Anybody you find interesting here? Male wise I mean." A sly smile formed on her thin lips.

"Nobody in particular," Namine frowned, narrowing her eyes.

"Really?" Selphie's brown eyes widened in mock surprise and she brought her manicured hand to her chest, "what about Roxas Hikari? Everybody saw you two at the club you know."

"Come on, Namine," Olette said, locking her fingers around Namine's wrist as Kairi frowned at Selphie.

What Namine was feeling after that comment was completely new to her, a bubbling up of anger, mixed with images of the last two weeks: Xion's angry glare, Olette weeping in the backseat of Kairi's car, and Roxas standing by himself in the rain, lifting his head and startled by her sudden appearance.

"She's a bitch," Kairi said flatly, plopping down on the bleachers and crossing her legs. Two heavyset girls sitting farther down looked over, their eyes traveling up and down Kairi, from her face to her toes. She ignored them. "Everybody already knows that right? So just forget about what she was implying. We all know nothing's going on with you and him and we don't want to ruin our chances of getting on the squad do we?"

"Yes," Namine said darkly, resting her chin in her hand.

"Do this for me and Letty, okay? I promise you'll thank me later. Trust me."

Namine looked at her. Those two words caused her stomach to clench, wondering if she really should.

"Okay, fine," she muttered quickly.

"That's the spirit Nami, we'll kick her butt when we show her the awesome routines we all practiced," Olette smiled giving her hand a squeeze. Namine turned to her with a smile, saddened that the brunette hadn't gotten her usual lively spirit back.

From the middle of the gym floor, Selphie Robbins began clapping her hands. "Okay ladies, it's time to get started! We're going to show you a basic routine to learn for first cuts. Let's go!"

At least two hundred girls were milling around the gym floor, stretching and talking. Namine was sure they all wanted this more than she did. But still.

"Kick her butt," she repeated, as if it would be that simple, watching as Selphie Robbins, cart wheeled down the gym, showing off her bounce and pep. "Okay."

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When Namine brought her cheerleading uniform home three days later, she hurriedly escaped to her room and closed the door. Standing in front of her full length mirror, she grimaced as she brought the uniform up against her, trying to picture herself flipping across the football field. It was hard.

"Namine?" Her mother called out after a soft knock on her bedroom door. "Are you in there?"

"Yeah," she answered, "come in."

Kelly opened the door and stuck her head in. Her face was made up pretty and she seemed to have put on a squirt of perfume, filling up Namine's room with the sweet smell. "How was school?"

"Good." Namine turned around from her mirror and held up the cheerleading uniform so her mom could see it. "I made the cheerleading squad."

"Really?" her mom smiled before stepping in, "that's really great honey. I'm sure Skyler will be proud to hear that you've become a part of something to the school he went too."

"It just kind of happened," Namine shrugged, not particularly pleased with her mother's answer.

"Are you going to have time for school, cheerleading, and my wedding?"

Namine sighed and placed the uniform on her bed and gave her mom a sour look. "I guess we'll just have to see won't we?"

"I guess so. Well, I'm off to dinner with Skyler tonight so you on your own okay? There's leftover in the fridge." Then she was gone, leaving Namine to sink on her bed and fall back so her head hit her pillow. Really, what had she expected? Her mom wasn't the type to be really interested in anything she did, so why would she start caring now?

It didn't take long for her to decide to change out of her school uniform. After pulling on a black tank and light blue skinny jeans that she tucked into black uggs, and zipping up a white sweater she ran down the stairs.

"Hey Nami! Headed somewhere?" Skyler asked from the living room couch, dressed up and reading the newspaper.

"Uh, yeah. I'm meeting the girls but I won't be out long," she muttered hurrying out the door. The cool September air greeted her as soon as she slammed the front door shut and hopped of the front porch. Not really planning on heading anywhere, she wondered to downtown Twilight. She recognized a few kids from school, a group of girls heading out of Come and GO, and a couple boys standing outside of the coffee shop.

At first Namine considered going to the Usual Spot, but then decided that she really didn't want to meet up with anyone there who would question her. It wasn't like she was mad, and she really wasn't feeling disappointed. This was normal for her, and she just wanted to be alone for a while. Her blue eyes scanned the area, trying to find a nice warm place to go, when she raised her eyes to the clock tower that stood high against the pink, red, orange, and yellow colors of the sky. Hadn't she seen somebody up there a few days ago? With a sudden burst of excitement and sense of adventure, she began to hike up the steep hill that led to the train station, stuffing her hands into the pockets' of her sweater. Maybe with a bit of luck she would be able to find a way up the tower herself.

By the time she reached the top of the train stations' platform, she was out of breath and holding onto her side as she huffed and puffed. But, it sure was beautiful of here when the sun was going down and her gaze was immediately captured by the scenery. Imagine how amazing it would look from up on the clock tower.

"Namine?" A cold voice made her freeze and when she turned around her eyes narrowed. Wow. Xion looked dangerously sexy outside of school, that was for sure. The girl wore a black dress made of velvet over semi sheer georgette godets that looked more like lingerie. A small red jacket covered her bare shoulders, and on her legs were black spandex thigh high stockings that laced up in the back, on her feet were shiny black heels. In one hand she was holding a cigarette, and in the other was a hand that was attached to a tall, lanky, and handsome red haired man.

His bright red hair was spiked back, and he wore a white t-shirt covered by a black leather jacket that was decorated with silver buttons, and dark blue jeans and red shoes. Namine realized that he was the drummer in Roxas's band.

"Hey Xion," Namine greeted waggling her fingers nervously.

"What are you doing up here?" the dark haired girl asked, closing her dark red lips over the cigarette and taking a drag. She blew out smoke like a pro.

"That would be none of your business," Namine replied pulling her bangs behind her ear and struggling to control her temper. By the looks of Xion's swollen lips, mussed up hair, and smeared make up, it was obvious that there was something intimate about the two. Especially since the man looked about as messy as she did.

"Your right, it's not," Xion giggled dropping her cigarette after one last drag and stepping on it. "Have you met Axel? He's a really good friend of mine and Roxas," she smiled walking closer and pulling the man with her.

"Hey," Namine said flatly, meeting his emerald eyes with a cold gaze.

"Nice to meet you," he smirked releasing his hold from Xion and stuffing his hand into the pocket of his leather jacket. "The name's Axel Flame. Got it memorized?"

Namine shrugged, crossing her arms and leaning on her hip as she glanced from him to Xion who was now fixing her hair.

"Well, we can't stay here all night. Roxas will be waiting for us at the party and we don't want him to get fussy," she sighed taking hold of Axel's arm. "I'll see you at school Namine," she cooed before disappearing. Namine watched them leave, her heart pounding as she realized how hurt Roxas could be if he ever found out about this. Xion was obviously more than just a friend to Axel, but who was she to any of them to get in their business? She hadn't even really talked to Roxas since the day in the rain, so she really had no right. But…Roxas.

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It was a game night in October, right around Halloween. Twilight was playing against their biggest rival, Radiant Garden, at home, and crowd was huge. Not like it wasn't like that for most games, but tonight was just different and everyone was excited. The cheerleaders had been working on a big halftime number for a couple of weeks that involved not only a pyramid but some heavy-duty dancing, a can-can line, and a row of subsequent back flips. This was a very big deal, at least for everyone else but Namine.

The football team was up at the half, and the cheerleading squad had gone back to the dressing rooms to change into the navy blue-sequined tops that were made for the routine. Everyone was nervous as they stood waiting to run out onto the field from the opening under the bleachers. Namine was cold and convinced that she would blow her back flip as she'd done in practice just the day before, when she landed with a resounding _whump_ on her back, knocking the wind out of herself. She just lay there, feeling oozy and strange as she stared up at the rows of retired basketball jerseys, fluttering from the ceiling overhead.

"You'll be fine," Kairi said to her now, grasping her hand and squeezing it. Kairi, of course, loved cheerleading. She was a natural, just as the graceful Olette was. They were the clear crowd favorite, eliciting cheers-mostly male-just for walking out onto the field.

The band started playing their squad theme song, and Namine bit her lip as she held on to her Navy blue and white pom-poms. The girls in front of her began psyching up, jumping up and down and shaking their own pom-poms, as they all started running down the slope to pop out onto the field to the cheers of the crowd. There was a pack of people that was especially into the cheerleaders-mostly guys, girls who hadn't made the squad, and parents-who were sitting right at the overhang where they came out, and as the girls ran forward they chanted each of the cheerleaders names.

"_Selphie_!" they yelled, and Selphie Robbins did an impromptu handspring, showing off.

"_Jessica_!"

"_Angela_!"

"_Olette_!" the crowd cheered loudly as Olette swirled around coming out, waving one pom-pom in the air and smiling.

"_Kairi_!" And the crowd went wild, screaming and cheering, as Kairi turned around and waved both pom-poms, smiling at her audience.

Namine was the last one out. With a deep breath she ran onto the field putting on a smile as everyone cheered, calling out her name as they had done with the other girls. She scrambled into formation, but she couldn't stop looking at the guy by the fence, his cobalt blue eyes watching her as he looked on in amusement. She was barely aware of the dance routine as she did it, everything in slow motion as the girls squatted and built the pyramid and she climbed up. When Namine stood up, knees wobbling, the crowd was a blur of noise as was the color in front of her. It was so cold that as she brought her head up to look at the stars, she could see her breath spilling out in vapor. With a quick hiss from Selphie, she returned back to the routine, holding her breath as she back flipped off Olette's and Kairi's hands, holding her arms up as she landed it listening as the crowd roared with approval.

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The after party was being held at Sora's mansion, and the three girls showed up late. In Kairi and Olette's hands were Papou smoothies and Namine had a cup of coke in her own hand, extra large. They stopped at Come and Go buying a round of drinks that celebrated their achievements of such a hard routine.

"Looks like we didn't miss much," Olette said as they came into the party. Most of the football team was in the dining room, bouncing quarters off what looked like an antique table. In the living room Selphie Robbins, also known as school slut, was already making out with Wakka Evans, a running back for the team. Namine flushed as every turned their heads to look at her, patting her on the back as she passed, and cooing about her excellent flip. She felt prickly and strange, and each hand that touched her seemed heavy and hot against her skin.

"Sora!" Kairi yelled from behind her, and then she ran off like a shot down the hallway and to the kitchen. Sora was sitting on the floor, up against the refrigerator, a beer clutched in one hand and a goofy smile on his face. Kairi knelt down beside him and placed a sweet kiss on his lips, rewarding him for making the winning pass in the game.

"There's Hayner," Olette whispered, poking Namine in the side and seeming to curl up against her. Namine looked over to the dining room, where Hayner was sitting with Pence Redding, watching them. He waved, smiling, in his letter jacket. Olette squeaked and Namine frowned, suddenly wanting to give the bastard the bird.

"Come on," Namine said, taking her hand and pulling her into the living room, stepping over Selphie's and Wakka's legs, so they could sit at the small round table in the corner of the table.

"How can he be so casual about it?" Olette sighed, propping her chin into her hands and looking at Namine.

"Because he's a bastard, that's why," Namine replied shrugging, "just pretend he isn't here okay? That should give him a taste of his own medicine."

"Your right Nami thanks." Olette grinned, her green eyes suddenly widened and her mouth dropped open. "What are they doing here?" she gasped.

Namine turned to where she was staring and she felt her stomach flutter as she watched Roxas enter through the front door, following Axel and another boy with a blonde mullet. Xion was latched onto the golden blonde's arm, looking apprehensive as she scanned the room. They almost looked like models walking in like that, models with a dark side that is. Axel was wearing his leather jacket, and under it was a red t-shirt, his jeans were white and he wore the same red tennis shoes. The mullet boy was wearing a black t-shirt, with an ocean blue jacket, and black jeans with brown sneakers. Xion looked like a vampire vixen as she was dressed in a black corset blouse that framed her figure, and a black mini skirt with swirls of white lace underneath. She wore black knee length boots, white stockings came to her thighs. Roxas looked extremely fine in a black vest, a white jacket over it, black and white checkers decorating the bottom hem, sleeves, and collar, and black jeans. He wore white tennis shoes on his feet.

"About everyone from school is here, so why wouldn't they be?" Namine asked turning back to Olette who was swirling her smoothie mixture around in her cup.

"They just don't come here, ever," she said coldly.

"Oh." Namine turned back to the group, her eyes narrowing as Roxas gave Xion a kiss before heading towards the kitchen with Axel. She wondered if he noticed how Xion's eyes stayed open to look at Axel who was smirking behind the golden blonde.

"Hello Namine, Olette," the raven haired girl had made her way over to the table, and greeted them with a wicked smile that made Namine cringe.

"Xion," Namine huffed glancing at mullet boy behind her, she was surprised to see him watching Olette with interest, but only at her face. He wore a smile almost as goofy as Sora's.

"This is my friend Demyx Waters, Demyx, these are girls I go to school with," Xion introduced as the boys' blue eyes lit up.

"You never said they were gorgeous, Fourteen," Demyx grinned not even flinching when the girl elbowed him hard in the gut.

"I'm sure she hardly talks about us pleasantly," Olette glared hard at Xion. Namine wondered if Olette was furious with Xion because of Roxas. Olette had mentioned the slight crush on the boy in grade school.

"Why Letty? No need to be hostile dear. I'm only being nice," Xion cooed, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I'm sure you are," Olette seethed.

"No need for a cat fight ladies. Besides Miss Olette, your much to pretty to let such a frown appear on your face," Demyx interrupted causing the brunette to flush deeply.

"Is something going on here?" Everyone turned to Hayner, who glanced from Olette to Demyx with a furious expression on his charming face. Olette squeaked in surprise.

"Oh I'm just trying to find out how to get this pretty brunette to go out with me," Demyx replied cheekily enjoying Hayner's outrageous reaction.

"Ugh I'm leaving, this is all too dramatic for me," Xion sighed, turning and moving through the crowd. Namine glanced at the other three, for once agreeing with the raven haired girl, and hopped off her chair and into the kitchen, hoping to get a drink and find Kairi. Her friend was sitting on the counter, sipping from a red plastic cup and looking extremely bored.

"Hey Kai," Namine greeted dodging Pence as he ran to help out Hayner in the living room.

"Oh hi Nami," Kairi greeted with a smile.

"What happened to Sora?"

"I don't know. He disappeared with Axel and Roxas," Kairi shrugged placing her cup on the counter beside her.

"Oh, um, Hayner is fighting with Demyx out in the living room," Namine replied leaning against the counter beside her friend.

"How come?"

"Olette," Namine laughed turning to Kairi who smirked. Both knew what jealousy does to a person. "Hey Kairi, can I tell you something that you'll keep secret?"

"Of course Namine, you can trust me with anything."

Namine flinched before letting out a soft sigh, "I know that Xion is cheating on Roxas." She let out with a grimace.

"How do you know that?" Kairi asked hopping down beside the blonde curiously.

"I ran into her and Axel a month ago and something was definitely up," Namine tossed her head back to look at the ceiling.

"Oh, well that sucks I guess. But why do you care?"

"I don't, I was just saying," Namine said quickly, turning her gaze back to the red head.

"Good, because it's probably best to stay out of a messy business like that," Kairi giggled. "You know, I heard Seifer is into you, like major."

"You mean the quarterback?" Namine gasped, feeling sick all of a sudden.

"The one and only," Kairi chuckled. Namine bit her lip, clasping her hands together and dropping her head. Of course it had to be a jack ass like Seifer who wanted her.

"Alright Kai, let's get out of here," both girls turned to Sora, who came into the kitchen from outside, followed by Axel and Roxas. Kairi nodded taking the brunette's hand and giving Namine a knowing look, "you should go find Seifer Nami. He'll be pleased to know you're into him," she said as Sora led her upstairs. Namine blushed fiercely, her gaze turning to Roxas, who met it with a questioning glance of his own.

"Namine," Axel greeted with a swift glance, before walking past her.

"I'm just gonna grab a drink then I'll meet you guys outside," Roxas called after the redhead as he headed towards the refrigerator. Axel just waved his hand without turning, disappearing into the living room. Namine kept her eyes on the ground, feeling as if the atmosphere had gotten unbearably hot.

"A lot has happened since I last talked with you," his velvet smooth voice came from behind her, and she knew he was leaning over the counter on the opposite side.

"It has," she agreed softly, taking a breath before turning to look at him. She blushed as he was gazing at her intently, his eyes drifting down her cheerleading uniform with a smirk.

"I saw your back flip, pretty impressive," he laughed popping the top off his beer.

"I saw you at the fence, but I didn't know you went to school games," Namine smiled as he shrugged.

"Heard you were a cheerleader and had to see it for myself," the boy said.

"I haven't really seen you around school?" she tilted her head, watching as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Had other things to do," he said, Namine could see how tired he looked and how he looked about ready to fall. "Wish I had come more though, didn't know you had thing for Seifer."

"I don't."

"But Kairi-"

"She lied."

"I see," he smirked and smiled gently, "well that makes me relieved. Seifer is almost as bad for you as I am," he chuckled.

"I think Xion is bad for you," Namine snapped, her eyes narrowing. She watched as he looked at her in confusion.

"Well, I should get going," he said suddenly putting down his beer and beginning to head out of the kitchen.

"Roxas!" Namine grabbed onto his sleeve, gazing up into his handsome face before pulling herself closer to him, "can you be careful please? I don't want you to get hurt," she said softly, not noticing how his cheeks turned pink as she buried her head into his arm, breathing in is delicious scent.

"You don't know anything Namine, I'll be seeing you," he said pulling his arm from her and disappearing.

NRNRNRNR

"I can't believe you and Hayner are back together!" Kairi said the following Monday. She took her seat in her math class, and turned to Olette with a shocked expression.

"Me neither, but it happened so all I have now is to thank that Demyx dork for hitting on me," the brunette sighed dreamily.

"Are you sure it was the right thing to do Letty? Going back with him I mean? Namine asked from Kairi's other side, doodling in her notebook.

"He told me that he just couldn't take it anymore, that he'd been miserable without me. I couldn't help but believe him," Olette grinned.

"Yeah, making out does change a person's mind," Kairi rolled her eyes opening her pink binder.

"Says the girl who went all the way last Friday," Olette hissed causing the redhead to blush and drop her head in embarrassment. Namine smiled, remembering how Kairi had called her Saturday to tell her what happened when she and Sora had escaped upstairs at the party, nothing but happiness had been in her voice.

_Slam!_

Namine jumped as the black binder was slammed onto her desk, and her blue eyes connected with Xion's. To say the girl looked like a complete mess was an understatement.

"What the hell did you do!" the girl practically screamed, tears welling into her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Namine gasped getting to her feet and narrowing her eyes.

"Don't act all innocent with me angel, I know you're the reason why Roxas broke up with me this weekend!"

Namine's eyes widened, shocked by the abrupt new. Broke up?

"I had nothing to do with it!" she shouted, grabbing onto her desk for support.

"That's a lie! I saw you talking with him at the party! I know you said something you bitch!"

"I said nothing! I hardly know the guy!" Namine defended angrily. She hadn't told Roxas anything to make him dump Xion. That had been his choice, and she wasn't going to get shouted at just because he did.

"You think you're so amazing with your perfect blonde hair, and your perfect face, and your perfect body! I saw everything you know, the looks the winks the smiles you tossed his way over the past month and I know you think you can just waltz in here and steal my man, but don't forget that I can hurt you damn it! I won't let you get away with stealing him away from me!"

"I wasn't trying to steal him Xion! I can be friends with anyone I want, anyone!"

"Girls settle down! What's going on?" The math teacher, Mr. Skellington, approached them and pulled the upset Xion away from Namine's desk.

"Ask her!" Xion wailed as she pulled out of the teacher's hands and hurried out the door. Namine relaxed, aware that everyone's eyes were on her before sinking into her desk and staring straight at the board. Mr. Skellington took Xion's binder and placed it on his desk before turning to the class while clearing his throat. Namine ignored Kairi and Olette's curious stares, and tuned out everything else around her. What had happened?

**A/N: I would so love it if I got more reviews…just saying =) Anyways, please stay tuned!**

**~waterfalls**


	6. Deeper

**A/N: Wow! Sorry that it's been quite a while. I've been crazy busy and all, but now I'm ready to present chapter six!**

Chapter Six

Deeper

It was about a week later when Namine ended up being stuck in practice for an extra twenty minutes while Selphie Robbins drilled them, again and again, on a new dance routine she'd come up with during a bout of inspiration at some cheerleading retreat. It involved a lot of back flips, a pyramid, and provocative forms which had the girls lying down in various positions.

"This is ridiculous," Kairi-who was next to Namine lying on her side with one leg in the air-said after their fifth try. "All anyone is going to be doing is trying to look up our skirts anyway. It's humiliating."

"Ladies!" Selphie yelled at Olette and Namine. Olette was perched on her hands and knees while Namine was kneeled down, her hands tangled in her blonde hair. "You need to be more serious about this! More seductive!"

"Screw seductive," Olette muttered bitterly. "its six-friggen'-o'clock. I'm supposed to meet up with Hayner."

"One more run-through," Selphie said, reaching over to rewind the music- a medley of "Heartbreaker," "Can't Be Tamed" and "Dynamite"-again. But, led by Olette, everyone was getting to their feet, grumbling and brushing the dust from the gym floor off their skirts and sweats, and heading for their duffel bags and the parking lot. Above them, Namine could hear rain pounding on the roof: it was pouring. "Fine, fine," Selphie said in a sharp tone, grabbing the CD player and yanking the cord out of the wall. "We'll start fresh tomorrow. And think formation please. Think teamwork!"

"Think therapy," Kairi giggled, nudging Namine with her elbow before passing, on her way to meet Sora, who was standing by the doorway waiting for her. "See you later, okay?" She said as he looped his arm around her waist, leaning to place a kiss on her neck. She laughed, pushing him off, while her fingers clasped around his wrist, at the same time pulling him closer.

"See you," Namine said waggling her fingers towards the couple before they disappeared. Everyone was filing out of the gym, talking and complaining about Selphie, and Namine took her time to bend down and pick up her white jacket so she could slip it on and then reach down and grab her duffel bag. With slow steps she made her way to the entrance.

She pushed open the heavy front door of the gym and walked out into a totally different world. It was raining steadily, and must have for the entire time that she and her team had been in the gym. The school grounds were completely soaked, puddles scattered here and there on the pavement as the raindrops continued to pound down around her. The wind had whipped up and it made the visibility terrible, the dark not helping. With cold fingers, Namine pulled up her hood and stepped out from under the eve to begin her walk home. Rain really did seem magical at times. It changed the world, made it louder, wet, and mysterious.

She wondered if her mom was worried that she was late in coming home. It was highly unlikely, Namine found herself with Kairi and Olette as much as she could after school so that she could escape Skyler and her mom's world. It just seemed like it was only made for two and Namine was just too big to fit in it. Not that she minded much, she had never really belonged in a family so why should it start now? Getting her hopes up was one of the most stupidest things for her to do. Not only that, but Namine hadn't been in the greatest mood the past week. After Xion's little explosion everyone had been gossiping about her and her relationship with Roxas. Even Kairi and Olette had thrown her suspicious looks when they thought she wasn't looking.

They were finally getting over it though, as Roxas hadn't shown up at school at all and it allowed Namine to go on without too much drama to deal with, because no one really ever witnessed them together. To her most utter disappointment she felt herself being relieved that he skipped out on school. Sure she told him she wanted to be friends, but to pull something like the stunt with Xion so suddenly hadn't been in her plans. When she had shot out her opinion at the party she really thought he wouldn't pay any mind. He sure screwed that up.

With a sudden jolt she stopped on the sidewalk in front of her house and looked up at the building. It looked damp from the rain, and yellow lights seeped out through the windows and barely shining through the curtains that had been drawn. She clutched onto the handle of her duffel bag that was draped on her shoulder and sighed. She really didn't want to go in. She wished that Kairi and Olette didn't have boyfriends so that she could be with them instead. That's where she belonged. Huh? What was that?

She felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as a loud snap echoed from behind her. She froze from the sound and bit her lip, before spinning towards the source of noise. She peered through the gloomy darkness and falling rain, seeing nothing under the orange street lamps. Weird. She let out a breath she hadn't realized that she had been holding and turned back around, beginning to take steps toward her house.

_SNAP!_

She whirled around again, her hood slipping off her head as she reexamined the area around her, not liking the way her heart was pounding wildly against her chest.

"Namine," a soft voice penetrated through the dark across the street. Namine curled her fingers as she watched Xion step out from the shadows and stand under one of the orange street lights with a hollow expression in her deadly gaze. Why did her deep blue eyes seem so empty? Had Xion really been that upset about losing Roxas even though she had knowingly gone behind his back to be with Axel?

"Xion, I don't want any trouble," she began holding out her hands and waving them with a forced smile on her lips. '_Play nice,'_ she told herself.

"You should have thought about that before," the dark haired girl responded, beginning her walk over to Namine.

"What is your problem? You were with Axel behind Roxas's back anyways!" Namine snarled backing up slowly towards the steps of her house. Surely Xion wouldn't start a cat fight right outside her home.

"Everything was going perfect until you showed up!" Xion halted, her blue eyes welling up again with remorse tears. "As soon as you showed interest in him he was zoning out all the time and hardly paying attention to me! My life was great before you!"

"You were cheating on Roxas! How is that so great!" Namine screeched angrily.

"You don't understand," Xion muttered bitterly, she shook her head slowly. "I don't think you've ever been in love." She raised her head and locked with Namine's eyes with fierce intensity. Namine flushed with the truth in her words.

"What does that have to do with anything?" She frowned with embarrassment.

"I loved Roxas, I still do…but I fell in love with Axel as well."

"You can't fall in love with two people, that's absurd," Namine scoffed.

"What do you know?" Xion was so much closer now; Namine hadn't noticed her moving again. "You've never been in love, because no one has ever been in love with you."

"Go away Xion, before I scream really loudly and Skyler will kick your ass for me." Namine barked with anger. There was no way she was going to fight the black-haired pixie. The vixen looked like a cold blooded killer with the way she was stalking towards her.

"Will you now?" Xion whispered darkly holding out a hand, only a couple feet away from where Namine stood frozen. Namine shivered from the cold, goose bumps bubbling along her skin at the look in Xion's eyes. There was a soft whooshing noise and Namine gasped as a large sword appeared out of nowhere and into Xion's outstretched hand. Glitter and sparkles were falling to the ground from around the sword, and Xion smirked from the horror on the platinum blondes' face.

"What the hell is that?" Namine gasped, confused about how that sword showed up in thin air, and scared by how skilled Xion was with it as she twirled it between her fingers like a baton.

"It really doesn't matter," Xion drawled before catching the sword in her hand and holding it out dangerously towards Namine who found that she couldn't move. "I told you I could hurt you, and I will."

"Please Xion; think about what you're planning on doing! You're right in front of my home, someone will notice," Namine pleaded desperately, feeling her own tears begin to gather at the corner of her eyes.

"You won't even have time to scream, and by the time someone finds you it'll be too late and I'll be gone." Xion stated emotionlessly. Namine cringed from the heartless tone, and closed her eyes as the girl began to move towards her with a growl. She was embarrassed by how she crouched down low to the ground as if she could avoid the attack that way; she was probably making it easier for Xion to kill her. What would her mom do now that she wouldn't have her to plan the wedding?

_CLANG!_

Namine opened her eyes, surprised that she hadn't felt any pain with the blow and wondering why it sounded as if the sword had hit metal instead of her body. She looked towards where she knew Xion would be standing and gasped that someone was standing in front of her and blocking the raven-haired girl from her view.

"You okay Nami?" a sweet, deep voice asked lightly, and the figure in front of her looked over his shoulder to glance at her.

"Sora!" Namine shouted in surprise as he grinned and then turned his attention back to Xion who was trying to push against his block. It looked like Sora had a sword just like Xion, and he had jumped into the attack right on time.

"Back off Xion! You and your gang had a deal with me, you don't use your weapon against innocent people," the brunette barked shoving her away with his own sword. Namine took notice of the design of the weapons then, wondering how and why they looked like large silver keys.

"The deal is off Sora; it was off when that somebody of yours decided to get involved with people she shouldn't be involved with!" Xion replied brandishing her key angrily.

"Leave Namine alone, it's not her fault with what's going on with your group," Sora warned. Xion let out a furious war cry before leaping towards the handsome boy, only to have a flaming weapon knock into her and throw her into the ground. Namine and Sora's gaze turned to the intruder who was crouched onto the fence that was placed in between the houses for privacy. It was easy to see who it was since his red hair was glowing and with the way his other flaming weapon was held up beside his face.

"And here I thought we had finally decided to work together, but now I see that you're fighting?" Axel chuckled, standing up to his full height.

"Tell Xion to stand down!" Sora cried blocking Namine from Axel's view.

"And why would I do that?" The lanky man drawled with boredom.

"We made a deal not to hurt innocent people. Tell her to leave Namine alone." Sora growled. Both could see the way Axel looked shocked by the information and he leaped off the fence to observe the scene. He looked amused at Namine's crouching position, but said nothing as he walked towards where Xion lay unconscious on the grass.

"Looks like I knocked her out," he chuckled lightly picking up the girl's limp form and slinging her over his shoulder. Namine noticed that his weapons, some circular-like metal wheel looking things, had disappeared as had Xion's sword once she was knocked out. "Don't worry Sora, I'll get her out of here and get her memorized on leaving Namine alone."

"You better," the handsome brunette warned dangerously.

"Aren't you getting a little overprotective?" Axel smirked.

"I think you should be going," Sora replied.

"Sora?" Namine questioned lightly, struggling to get to her feet. Her head was dizzy, and the images of the real world were swirling against her eyes. She didn't feel so good. She felt arms wrap around her, and she blinked up into the light blue orbs that belonged to Kairi's boyfriend.

"You'll be okay," his voice was soothing to her ears.

"Sora…I can't see," she said, her voice high due to her panic. And she couldn't, her vision had gone black, like someone had turned the TV. off and then suddenly, a fuzzy appearance was shaping before her. She couldn't see who it was or maybe it was because she didn't recognize the face that was peering at her with a sneer, and then the woman with horns and lips as red as a rose began to cackle evilly.

RNRNRNRNRN

Her head pounded with pain as soon as she woke up, and she struggled to get out of the white blanket on her bed that had wrapped around her body uncomfortably during the night. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes wearily and yawned as she stretched out her arms. She didn't really know how she got home or how she had even made it up to her room, but she was glad to be there. Her dream last night really freaked her out, and she really needed a shower.

She sighed as the hot water pounded down on her and cleansed her body while she closed her eyes to shampoo her blonde hair. It wasn't until she did that when she suddenly wondered if her dream had really been a dream at all. It felt like it had been so real, that Sora had really protected her from Xion's psycho phase. And she didn't think she could dream up those weird swords that they were carrying, those magically appearing swords that were shaped like keys. Weird. Maybe she would find out as soon as she went to school and saw Sora.

She turned the water off and began the normal routine of getting ready before school. She put on her white lacey bra and matching panties before pulling on her blue and black checkered pajama shorts and her blue tank before settling herself in front of her vanity set. She had gotten a lot better with putting on her makeup as she slipped on a white headband to push her bangs out of her face and pulled the rest of her hair back up with a clip. The nude liquid cover up always went first, and she only put on a light layer so that her skin appeared smooth before brushing on the mineral powder that finished up the look. With quick and precise swipes, she put on a light pink blush to her cheeks and then began the difficult process of putting on the glittering black eyeliner that she outlined her light blue eyes with. She decided not to bother with eye shadow as she expertly put on her mascara.

It took a lot longer for her to do her hair as she brushed a comb through the white-blonde locks while at the same time she blow-dried it with a hair dryer. She decided to leave it straight today and pulled out a strand from the left side so she could tie a white ribbon around it and did it again to the right. As always, as soon as it was dry that is, the ends waved slightly and the one annoying strand behind her head began to curl. Still, it looked quite all right and presentable.

It was a lot more fun to put on the uniform these days since Kairi and Olette helped her put unique touches on it. It was still less outshining than her friends, but she made it look incredibly cute with the addition to the white ruffles to her white blouse that protruded from under her vest, and to the white lace that encased her thighs from under her short navy blue skirt. She felt a lot more like herself as she skipped down the stairs and grabbed an apple from the counter before heading outside and hopping into Kairi's Barbie pink Audi in the driveway.

"So what happened to you last night?" Kairi asked with a smirk as she pulled out of the drive and into the street. Namine's eyes opened wide at the question and decided that maybe she should play dumb so Kairi wouldn't think she had gone crazy.

"What are you talking about Kai?" She said trying to smile without feeling like she was forcing it.

"I called your cell phone like ten times last night and left you like nine text messages," the red-haired girl smirked stopping at a stop sign at the end of the block.

"Oh, um I fell asleep early, sorry. How was your night with Sora?" She asked trying to change the subject.

"He ran off with some lame excuse," Kairi growled. "And I had just exited the bathroom in a cute lingerie outfit when he did too."

"T-that's so strange Kairi. I wonder why?" Namine stuttered, looking out the window.

"Yeah so do I, but he won't get away with it. I've decided to ignore him for today."

"Come on Kai. What if he had to do something important?"

"Nothing comes before his girlfriend. He knows better than that." Kairi shrugged. Namine giggled thinking about how selfish Kairi seemed to get sometimes. She wondered if Kairi would change her mind if she found out that Sora had saved her life last night. Or had it really been a dream?

RNRNRNRNRN

Namine took her seat beside Sora in their art class with a tense silence as he pointedly ignored her entrance. She placed her bag on the ground beside her and turned to him with a glare. He looked straight ahead at the teacher, obviously trying to let her know that he didn't want to talk with her.

"Hello, Sora." She said with such seriousness and watched with amusement as Sora turned his head slowly to face her.

"Hey there Namine," he grinned with a nervous tone to his voice.

"Xion wasn't in my homeroom this morning, I wonder why?" She smiled as sweetly and innocently as she could.

"Uh, shouldn't you be glad she's absent. I thought you guys hated each other," the brunette frowned turning back to the front of the classroom.

"You figured that out last night didn't you?" She laughed and her eyes widened at the sudden flinch that took over his body.

"I don't know what you're talking about Nami. I think you hit your head last night or something," Sora chuckled, but she noticed his voice was shaking.

"Sora," she growled but hesitated as Mr. Rafiki cleared his throat. She sighed and decided to talk with him after class, pulling out her sketch pad from her bag.

"Draw something that comes to your mind, anything that you can imagine, there are no limits," Mr. Rafiki continued handing out pastels and colored pencils for the students to use. "You have the rest of the class period and I do want more working and less talking."

Namine managed a smile as she picked up the pastels, and flipped open her sketchbook for a blank page. She closed her eyes and went through the things in her mind so she could figure out what she wanted to draw. She really liked the vision of Roxas in the rain, his handsome face forlorn as he leaned against the wall of the ice cream store. But, that would make it obvious that she did find the golden blonde intriguing and everyone would pester her about it. The sight of a protective Sora with a sword shaped like a key to defend her from Xion's angry face was even more tempting to draw out on paper. But, she didn't think the handsome brunette would appreciate that very much nor would the psycho Xion. With a huff she wondered if she should just draw a picture of Kairi and Olette in their usual spot, holding cups of Papou smoothie's and her extra large Coke, when the woman's face she saw popped up behind her closed lids.

She gasped lightly, taking in the green tint to the woman's skin, and her bright red painted lips and the black horns that draped around her head. She wondered if it was just a hood or something because the rest of her head was all black and it draped around the rest of her lean and tall body like a cloak. Her black eyes stared at her maliciously, and Namine decided that this woman of her imagination was very scary. She knew it was a dream though because she remembered fainting in Sora's arms last night with this woman clouding her head. She hadn't been real, because Sora had been fighting with Xion and arguing with Axel, this woman had not been there.

"Namine?" Sora said softly into her ear and she jerked from the suddenness of his deep voice. She turned her head to her left and blushed as their noses bumped together from the closeness. She watched as his cheeks flooded red too, and he pulled back rapidly, realizing that he could feel her breath fan across his lips.

"Y-yes Sora?" She blushed deeper.

"How do you know her?" He pointed to her sketch and she gasped to see the woman of her dream on the page in black, green, and purple pastel colors. It looked exactly like the woman she saw in her head, except there was a long staff with a green jewel on the end in her long fingers. She hadn't remembered seeing that.

"I don't, I saw her in my head last night," she shrugged. He look stunned but said nothing more as he returned to his drawing which she realized with a turn of her stomach, was a drawing of her crouched down in the rain.

The bell sounded minutes later, and Namine began to pack her things in a hurry to catch up with Sora as he dumped his things in a back pack and rushed out of the room.

"Sora…wait!" She called out chasing him out the door as he disappeared from her view, only stopping when she felt a warm hand grasp her right shoulder. "Excuse me," she huffed turning to glare at the person who stopped her. Her cheeks flooded with color as Roxas smirked down at her, stuffing his hands into his slack pockets.

"Hello Namine," he greeted with his smooth voice.

"Roxas," she breathed out. She hadn't seen him in so long that his presence was very overwhelming.

"How are you?" he asked softly, glancing at the students that swarmed around them as they flooded the hallway and shot them curious looks.

"I'm fine," she smiled. She couldn't help it; she was overjoyed that he actually came up to talk with her and in front of the school too. They both had been avoiding each other since the party, well more than they usually did.

"I uh…heard about what happened last night," he muttered then, "from Axel."

"So it was real," she confirmed narrowing her blue eyes.

"Is Sora making you think differently?"

"He's acting weird so I knew I was right but yes, he's trying to act like nothing happened at all."

"You're acting quite calm with all that's happened," Roxas smirked. Namine sighed knowing that he was right; she wondered if the panic attack would hit somewhere later on. "Can I talk with you?"

"Roxas," she giggled, "we are talking."

"Look, I just want you to forget about what happened last night okay. Xion wasn't herself and Axel and I gave her a lecture about hurting you. It's not your fault with what happened. She knows this."

"Humph, well I hope coming after someone with a keyblade isn't her usual self," Namine huffed airily.

"What did you just say?" Roxas jolted quite suddenly and Namine tilted her head.

"Oh! Well that sword or whatever she was holding, it looked like a humongous key. So I thought keyblade sounded quite normal…or clever?" She looked up him at sheepishly and watched as his surprised look turned into one of a frown.

"Uh, yeah, sure; look Namine, just promise me you won't go after Xion and question her about her actions. She won't do it again." He urged lowering his voice after noticing the many stares and whispered conversations that were aimed in their direction.

"Roxas, what's going on? What aren't you telling me?"

"Trust me Namine, its better if you just stay out of it. Nothing good can come from digging deeper and mixing you into problems that isn't worth the trouble," he ran a hand through his tousled hair and shot her a smirk. "That's why I want you to promise me that you'll just stay away. I don't want you to get hurt."

Namine frowned but sighed knowing she wouldn't get far arguing with him. Hell, she barely knew him as it was. She had no right to go butting into things she didn't belong in, even if Xion had gone all psycho killer on her.

"All right Roxas…I promise I'll be a good little angel and ignore everything that happened last night." She smiled sweetly at him, hoping that would do the trick. The serene smile that lit up on his handsome face sure seemed to make her think so.

"Thanks," he let out a breath and then embarrassed her by ruffling her hair with his hand. "I'm gonna get going before rumors start spreading. Everyone is staring," he chuckled and gave her one last grin before turning and heading down the hall as if the conversation hadn't just happened. First it was Sora acting all weird, and now Roxas telling her to keep quiet? What were those boys hiding from her?

"I may have promised him, but I haven't promised Sora anything." She muttered before she went off in search of her friends.


End file.
